Sadr's milita was losing......in what world do you live?
Quote:
Iraqi crackdown backfires and strengthens Sadrists
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's crackdown on militias in the southern oil port of Basra appears to have backfired, exposing the weakness of his army and strengthening his political foes ahead of elections.
(snip)
It has also exposed a deep rift within Iraq's Shi'ite majority -- between the political parties in Maliki's government and followers of populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
Analysts say Iraqis may be about to witness a new phase in the cycle of violence that has gripped the country since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 -- intra-Shi'ite bloodletting that could tear Iraq apart and more deeply embroil U.S. forces.
(snip)
The operation was lauded by U.S. and British officials as evidence of the growing strength of the Iraqi army, but by the weekend it had largely stalled, with Iraqi troops having failed to dislodge the gunmen from their strongholds.
Embarrassingly, Iraq's defence minister had to admit that despite much preparation, his forces were not ready for such fierce resistance. U.S. and British forces have intervened, launching air and artillery strikes to support Iraqi troops.
What has happened has weakened the government and shown the weakness of the state. Now the capability of the state to control Iraq is open to question," said Izzat al-Shahbander, a moderate Shi'ite politician from the Iraqi National List party.
Gareth Stansfield, a professor of Middle East politics at the University of Exeter in England, said Maliki had staked his political credibility on the show of force in Basra and lost.
"Maliki's credibility is shot at this point. He really thought his security forces could really do this. But he's failed," he said.
full article: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/200803...s-43a8d4f.html
|
The only ones who think this latest outbreak of violence is a sign of the success of the surge and the weakening of Sadr are Bush and McCain.
We are now more embroiled than even in the crossfire of multiple battles involving different political and religious interests...and we cant tell them apart.