Iraqi Troops Step Up Fighting in Basra

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Iraqi Troops Step Up Fighting in Basra

AP photo / Nabil al-Jurani

On the offensive: Iraqi police officers take aim in Basra on Tuesday.

Iraqi forces on Tuesday launched an offensive targeting Shiite militia groups in the southern city of Basra, where at least 30 deaths are reported to have occurred in the operation, as well as in other regions of the country.

BBC:

Oil-rich Basra is in the grip of a bitter turf war between armed groups, including the Mehdi Army, analysts say.

Clashes have spread to other parts of Iraq, including Baghdad’s Sadr City, where the Mehdi Army fought rival Shia.

The Mehdi Army—which supports radical Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr—has threatened a nationwide campaign of civil disobedience.

The powerful militia declared a truce last August which had been credited with helping restore stability to parts of Iraq.

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TAGS: basra iraq mehdi army militant militia moqtada sadr nouri maliki offensive oil shia shiite

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By Blackspeare, March 25, 2008 at 6:49 pm Link to this comment

Watch out. The US military expedition in Iraq is looking for any excuse to get Moqtada Sadr. They missed the opportunity a little over a year ago——they will not let this one slip by. Say good night to the folks Moqtada!

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By Fadel Abdallah, March 25, 2008 at 5:01 pm Link to this comment

I guess this should be considered as another glorious achievement to be added to the glories of evil Bush and gang! The sadly tragic thing about all this is that future generations of American children will be forced to study this as American history! And I am sure, it will all be embellished to look great!

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By PatrickHenry, March 25, 2008 at 2:06 pm Link to this comment

I guess the Shiite decided to have a surge of their own.

Give them back their country with its myriad problems and leave.

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By DennisD, March 25, 2008 at 12:28 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

And I thought the people passing out the Kool-aid were saying everything is going just great in the Iraq money pit. Go figure.

I guess the payoffs didn’t get to militia groups on time this month. Either that or they found out the dollar isn’t worth a crap anymore and just want to keep the oil for themselves.

Is that a Haliburton corporate logo on the AK47 in the picture? Advertising does matter at Bu$h Inc.

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By P. T., March 25, 2008 at 11:36 am Link to this comment

Bush, Cheney, and the client regime in Baghdad are making their move to grab southern Iraq’s oil (over 80% of Iraq’s oil is there). They are having to fight against the people of southern Iraq defending the oil.

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