Iraqi Shiites Hit Streets To Protest U.S.

Fourth Anniversary Of Saddam's Ouster Marked With Marches In Baghdad And Najaf

(CBS/AP) 
Monday's demonstration marks four years since U.S. Marines and the Army's 3rd Infantry Division swept into the Iraqi capital 20 days into the American invasion.

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Monday that "mistakes were made" after Saddam Hussein's regime was ousted four years ago.

"The main mistake was a vacuum left in the fields of security and politics, and second mistake was how liberating forces became occupation forces," Zebari told Al-Arabiyah television.

Cars were banned from Najaf for 24 hours starting from 8 p.m. Sunday, said police spokesman Col. Ali Jiryo. Buses idled at all entrances of the city to transport arriving demonstrators or other visitors to the city center. Najaf residents would be allowed to drive, he said.

Security was tight across Iraq, with a 24-hour ban on all vehicles in Baghdad starting from 5 a.m. Monday. The government quickly reinstated Monday as a holiday, just a day after it had decreed that April 9 no longer would be a day off.

In a statement distributed in Najaf on Sunday, al-Sadr called on Iraqi forces to stop cooperating with America.

"You, the Iraqi army and police forces, don't walk alongside the occupiers, because they are your archenemy," the statement said.

Al-Sadr, who commands an enormous following among Iraq's majority Shiites and has close allies in the Shiite-dominated government, urged his followers not to attack fellow Iraqis but to turn all their efforts on American forces.

"God has ordered you to be patient in front of your enemy, and unify your efforts against them — not against the sons of Iraq," it said.

However, Iraq's leading Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani, has recently voiced opposition to a pending piece of legislation that would bring some Sunni members of Saddam's government back into the political fold.

The legislation is seen as crucial to winning support for the central government from the Sunni bloc, many of whom fear being sidelined by the new Shiite-led authority.

Brookings Institute senior fellow Michael O'Hanlon told CBS' The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith that al-Sistani's rejection of the bill, is "the worst news in Iraq."

O'Hanlon says the cleric had been helpful to the cause of easing sectarian tension, until recently. "In the last year he's been so dispirited that he hasn't said much. Now he comes out and says something that works against us."

Al-Sadr had reportedly ordered his militia to disarm and stay off the streets during a Baghdad security crackdown that began Feb. 14, though he has nevertheless issued a series of sharp anti-American statements, demanding the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Sunday's statement was apparently issued in response to three days of clashes between his Mahdi Army militiamen and U.S.-backed Iraqi troops in Diwaniyah, 80 miles south of Baghdad.

A U.S. soldier was killed there Sunday, Col. Michael Garrett, with the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Division, told reporters in Diwaniyah a day later.

American troops continued operations in Diwaniyah on Monday, detaining four guards at the office of a Shiite political party and scouring two neighborhoods in the city's northern and eastern sections, police said. At least 24 suspects were detained and one civilian was killed, police said. U.S. officials had no immediate comment.

[bourbon83]

That is a good thought Jean. Not to plain either. ha. The only problem is.. If we pull out before the iraq forces are strong enough, Irans and Syria's insurgents will come in and kill all those we've worked so hard to set free. It will be a country easily squashed by those around it. Which may happen anyway if we don't make the whole ME aware of some major consequences. I do agree the locals need to step up and take the initiative in fighting for freedom.

[plainjean]

It has been more than four years since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime and there seems to be no end to the U.S. Military occupation. Something occurred to me the other day that makes since if you have a lick of common sense. Was there anyone, say the hated British, Spain, Russia, or France, holding the Founding Fathers' hands there at Freedom Hall during the long hot summer of 1787? Seems to me those early Americans did one heck of a job drafting a constitution that the states eventually ratified. Let the Sunnis and Shiites decide how they will govern their country. With Muqtada al-Sadr waiting in the wings I seriously doubt if another 1,000 American lives is going to make much of a difference. If Iraq disintegrates into anarchy so be it. America has done more than its part to make these people see the light. In the name of common sense, "You can lead a horse to water, but you CANNOT made it drink!"

[lars008-2009]

there is no peace with fascist nazi islam%u2026.. there never has been in it%u2019s 1400 year existence%u2026

dnc are like john adams and want to give the jihadist their lunch money hoping they will leave us alone....

gop are like thomas jefferson and want to spend their lunch money on weapons and go kick the jihadists in their arses.....

What Thomas Jefferson learned from the Muslim book of jihad

Thomas Jefferson knew about fascist nazi islam..... he killed plenty of them....

In 1786 Jefferson and John Adams went to negotiate with Tripoli's envoy to London, Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdrahaman or (Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja). They asked him by what right he extorted money and took slaves. Jefferson reported to Secretary of State John Jay, and to the Congress:

The ambassador answered us that [the right] was founded on the Laws of the Prophet (Mohammed), that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have answered their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners, and that every Mussulman who should be slain in battle was sure to go to heaven.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Barbary_War
http://www.usvetdsp.com/jan07/jeff_quran.htm
muslim justifies slavery and piracy%u2026
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?6bdec278-6a71-4436-bc4d-29d1c54b0ad7

[bourbon83]

[yes no concern about the huge debt laid upon our kids, just as long as they still get tax breaks and oil profits.]

Yes, once again showing your real concern. Not enough money for your poor ole school grants and welfare. Take from those who work and give to those who don't. typical. I know the Pork Filled anti war bill made you proud. You don't care about safety or freedom for your kids. You care about getting your hands on more money. So you can set around playing on your computer all day without exerting yourselves.
Now go off yourselves to save those poor downtrodden, oppressed people from having to do it.

[bourbon83]

[Troll. Could be a new one but more likely an old recycled one]
More labeling instead of rationalizing. Hmmmm boring...
[Join up and serve your country, We have spread ouselves thin on the fight on terrorism ]

My family and I have sacrificed plenty for this country. Just to enable feeble minded,weak kneed libs to become sympathizers of America's enemies. As far as hind sight on Bin Laden, Clinton screwed that up! Not Bush!. Now ole Bin is probably in a lounge chair in Syria, or Iran, laughing his as off on how people have fallen for their cheap oil stealing propaganda. I do agree we've spread ouselves thin. Most was due to base closures under the Clinton and Carter. If we'd put an end to college grants, goverment sponsored loans, and career welfare, we'd have plent of money to run a well equipped military, instead of having a bunch of over educated,babies, that are only mad about the war because it takes from their education fund, that they use to escape really working.

[bourbon83]

[Troll. Could be a new one but more likely an old recycled one]
More labeling instead of rationalizing. Hmmmm boring...
[Join up and serve your country, We have spread ouselves thin on the fight on terrorism ]

My family and I have sacrificed plenty for this country. Just to enable feeble minded,weak kneed libs to become sympathizers of America's enemies. As far as hind sight on Bin Laden, Clinton screwed that up! Not Bush!. Now ole Bin is probably in a lounge chair in Syria, or Iran, laughing his as off on how people have fallen for their cheap oil stealing propaganda. I do agree we've spread ouselves thin. Most was due to base closures under the Clinton and Carter. If we'd put an end to college grants, goverment sponsored loans, and career welfare, we'd have plent of money to run a well equipped military, instead of having a bunch of over educated,babies, that are only mad about the war because it takes from their education fund, that they use to escape really working.

[gaye5]

If and only If this story is true, which as so many of these reports are so bias and tell so many lies I would have to only take a guess that it is true, then it is time to get out of Iraq and let them continue to slaughter themselves...
Now, what country was it that had the British go in to help stop the feudal tribes, but as soon as the British left many many years later it wasnt long before they were back to their feudal ways again... This hatred of each other cant be stopped, they dont want it to be stopped.. so lets get out of there and let them continue to kill each other...

[pianoman42]

CBS:'Tens of thousands' protested in Najaf.
BBC:'Hundreds of thousands' protested in Najaf.
Does truth ever come out of Iraq?

[norcalruss]

IQ TEST May explain 30% who support Bush%u2019s war. Give yourself 100 points. Add 4 points for each year of college you completed. If you have advanced degree do not take, you%u2019re too intelligent to support Bush. Now subtract: 1.Illiterate deduction %u201310 if you didn%u2019t graduate H.S. 2.Trailer trash ded.-4 points if you live in a mobile home 3.Redneck ded.%u20135 pts if you fly or display the Stars and Bars 4. Hillbilly ded.%u20134 pts for having s*x with a cousin %u20138 if you%u2019re still doing it 5. Geo illiterate ded.%u20135 pts if you can%u2019t find Iraq on a world map 6.Pronunciation ded.%u20135 if you STILL call Iraq, I-RACK instead of ear-ROCK 7.Dental work needed ded.%u20132 pts for every missing non-wisdom tooth 8.General ignorance ded %u20134 pts if you didn%u2019t know *** Cheney was CEO of Halliburton: one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Bush/Cheney War 9.Media ignorance ded.%u20136 pts if you think that Bush%u2019s bootlickers at Fox News are either FAIR or BALANCED 10.Buffoon ded.%u20134 points for autographed photo you own of Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity. Tally score: 95%u2013110 average IQ, why do still support an idiot? 85%u201394 dull normal, there is hope, just stay away from Fox and people who are too dumb to pronounce Iraq properly. 75-84 it will take a lot of work to help you. No Fox/AM radio, go back to school, quit thinking about your cousin. Below 75 you are a hopeless right-wing idiot do the world a favor by jumping off a cliff

[feelfree1]

usadvisor101,

"it's better to wrap yourself in the constitution and burn the flag, than the wrap yourself in the flag and burn the constitution"- Unknown

[feelfree1]

I wonder why CBS is showing the cover photo of the 2 guys stomping on the American rag, instead of the other 999,998 or so Iraqis who didn't?

As long as they don't stomp our Constitution, in the way that our most dangerous domestic enemies have, I really don't care whose flag they stomp.

They have the right to express their opinions, do they not? Not enough flower-throwing going on for you?

That flag in the photo is on the ground. By regulation, doesn't that require that the flag be destroyed...by burning it?

[feelfree1]

t_barr,

Re: "The Power Of Nightmares"

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=881321004838285177&q=The+Power Of Nightmares

Very interesting, and very timely. Thanks for posting.

[profnyc]

This is so typical of our corporate media. Fox TV says that the protest march was only a couple of thousand, CBS says thousands, but the media from the REST of the world says hundreds of thousands to a million people. This is why Americans continue to be among the least politically educated among the developed nations.

I wish that the politically challenged Fox TV viewers would please open up their minds to the possibility that our democracy is nearly gone. To paraphrase Jefferson, when there is a well-educated and well-informed populace, democracy is safe. In the case of the US, we have neither.

[randalds]

I tried, but that is some of the most boring drivel I've ever read. Of course, I rarely, if ever, read much beyond the first line of anything Lars posts, so he may be equally boring.

He could have summed it up in one sentence:

"I HATE MUSLIMS AND BEND OVER FOR BUSH."


Posted by tuckerndfw at 10:20 PM : Apr 09, 2007

I'm pretty sure it is lars too. I think he gave it away when he referred to OBL as "Ben Laden".

"Hey I wonder if he means old Ben Kenobi?" "Now Luke you stay away from that crazy hermit!"

Sounds about right for lars.

[feelfree1]

tuckerndfw,

Re: "I agree with your comment but it reminded me that the US has not had a "terrorist alert" since the 2004 elections."

The timing of "al-Qaeda" attacks always seem to be particularly fortunate for the regime.

The Corporate powered "ooga-booga" machine is loosing effectiveness though. They now must use it more sparingly to remain effective.

[feelfree1]

radiob,

Re: "Demonstrators...clogged streets in Al-Najaf and 7 kilometers of road"

This report is attributed to the AP/Reuters.

www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/04/3db9dc79-1160-4020-bb4d-d99ecd6e0c08.html

[feelfree1]

At any rate, if 1 million attended this demonstration, which could easily be the case, that is roughly 1 in 20 Iraqis, give or take, (depending on how many we have killed/displaced/imprisoned to date).

The Iraqi people have had enough Bush flavored liberation and misery. We have been asked nicely to leave. We should take the hint. U.S. forces WILL be leaving Iraq sooner or later. We may not always have the option.

Time to end the tragic and shameful invasion of Iraq! Time to demand an exit!

www.ipetitions.com/petition/OutNow

[radiob-2009]

How the London Times is describing the event.


Rally masks divisions in Mahdi Army
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1632802.ece

[radiob-2009]

feelfree1 Is that from the BBC?I have read numerous reports on the size.

[feelfree1]

This is very impressive:

"Demonstrators marched from Kufa to neighboring Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad."

A one hundred mile march?

From a related AP article:

"Demonstrators waved red, white, and black Iraqi flags and clogged streets in Al-Najaf and 7 kilometers of road leading to that holy city."

A peaceful demonstration that clogged the city of Najaf, and overflowed by 7 kilometers?!!

CBS/AP are reporting 'tens of thousands' attending this demonstration. Obviously this heroic effort of the Iraqi people resulted in more like one million people, and it stretched for miles and miles.

Western Corporate media appear to have incriminated themselves here, by revealing their routine undercounting of peaceful resistance groups- not unlike they did in the run up to this disaster.

This massive peaceful event was an impressive act by the people of Iraq.