Attention Mahdi Army: US All Out Of Bubble Gum
posted at 9:13 am on April 7, 2007 by see-dubya
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It’s the second day of fighting in Diwaniyah, south of Baghdad, and the US is having it out with Sadr’s goons:
American troops swept into the troubled, predominantly Shiite city of Diwaniyah before dawn on Friday, killing three militia fighters and capturing 27 in the first day of the assault, the military said. The attack — named “Operation Black Eagle” — targeted gunmen loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Fighting continued Saturday.
…
Dozens of people have been killed in Diwaniyah during the past weeks and the attacks have been blamed by residents on the Mahdi Army, al-Sadr’s militia.
Many women, accused by the hard-line and fundamentalist militiamen of violating their interpretation of Islamic morality, are among the dead.
Interesting that we have apparently dropped the fiction of only targeting “rogue” Mahdi Army elements and are explicitly lighting up Sadr’s goons. Good. I suspect Diwaniyah may be a precursor to a possible pacification of Baghdad’s Sadr City, and we are learning about their tactics when we are ready to snap the Mahdi Army in half for good.
Meanwhile NATO kicks Talibutt in Helmand province. I’m not sure whether the objective is to cut off Taliban control of the opium revenues from the area around Sangin, or we’re just there because that’s where the Taliban and their “foreign fighters” are.
It’s been said, many times, many ways, but I’m glad we’re killing these foreign fighters there and not here.
UPDATE: The Christian Science Monitor says we’re already tiptoeing around Sadr City.
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More progress, love it. Now, if only that punk al-Sadr would show his ugly face…
And welcome back See-Dubya. Happy Easter
Zorro on April 7, 2007 at 9:24 AM
Sometimes you just need a Rowdy Roddy Piper moment.
Nethicus on April 7, 2007 at 9:33 AM
U.S. vs. Mookie: Round three. Can we knock this guy out and put him down for the count this time please? Why do we fall for that “hudna” crap? Do our Generals not study islamic war fighting history and “rules”?
“…we’re killing these foreign fighters there and not here.”
- ‘Zactly right! But our friends on the left would rather wait til they come here, blow something up and then arrest ‘em and read ‘em their rights. How does one arrest a suicide bomber AFTER he blows himself up?
Tony737 on April 7, 2007 at 9:40 AM
off topic for a second…
Hot Air’s first anniversary is coming up on the 24th, what’s the plan? where’s the party?
Zorro on April 7, 2007 at 9:56 AM
When will the idiot liberals (including the feminists) wake up and realize that this is what’s in store for them if we keep giving in to “multiculturalism and tolerance”.
Aylios on April 7, 2007 at 10:02 AM
GREATEST. HEADLINE. EVER.
fusionaddict on April 7, 2007 at 10:18 AM
And though it’s been said many times many ways “Merry Boot in your Ass” Mr terrorist
Drtuddle on April 7, 2007 at 10:24 AM
wonder how the libs are taking this information
nice to see us kicking their behinds
Defector01 on April 7, 2007 at 10:57 AM
I think Jamill should buy the drinks….Jamill?….where’d he go?
Buck Turgidson on April 7, 2007 at 11:22 AM
They Live ^^
So if I put those glasses on and look at a Democrat, what will I see?
JayHaw Phrenzie on April 7, 2007 at 11:40 AM
I was hoping for a clip of Mr. Piper. What movie was that from? Happy Easter to all, and Godspeed to the men and women who are putting it all on the line for the greatest nation on Earth, Nancy Pelosi notwithstanding.
Lucid1 on April 7, 2007 at 12:00 PM
JayHaw Phrenzie on April 7, 2007 at 12:16 PM
Too bad the first half of the AP article does nothing but talk about U.S. and civilian deaths before it gets into the progress of the mission. It’s not that I feel such things should be kept secret but it just seems the writer went out of the way to make sure all that was known first.
Yakko77 on April 7, 2007 at 12:25 PM
Thoughts on Diwaniya –
I spent a few months there in 2003. It’s fairly typical of the Shia “tween” cities south of Baghdad but north of Basra. Hot, dusty, poor by American standards but not completely without infrastructure. It’s not a village of mud huts, in other words.
I wasn’t impressed with any of the local leaders I met there. Arrogant elites accustomed to being in charge, spoke more english than I spoke Arabic, yet several insisted on having me replaced as translator. Heard stories of outright corruption, gas price gouging the public, mostly.
The silver lining in Diwaniya is the people! Warm and friendly, clear adherents to that famous tradition of Arab hospitality. Good to the core and happy, despite the great injustices done to them.
What I didn’t see (but wish I had) was any emerging local leadership eager to represent those happy and kind people. Diwaniya wasn’t a viper’s nest like Falluja, but it had a thug problem that needed addressing. And no white knighters in sight. I got the feeling that the thugs were waiting for us leave so they could go back to the old system of exploiting the practical concerns of an impoverished population in exchange for personal power.
Fighting the thugs is obviously important, but I’m worried that seeing the old exploiters vanquished might not magically inspire a new generation of representative government types, rather it might just embolden a new crop of exploiters, gleeful that we yanks did the dirty work of eliminating their competition.
I’m rambling. Short version: Diwaniya is worth the effort. But I still worry that Iraqis won’t make the leap in imagination to self-government. Patraeous said, “This war has a half life.” I think we’re past that point.
/ my $0.02
Kadnine on April 7, 2007 at 12:51 PM
Are you sure you’re not referring to the DNC?
RedinBlueCounty on April 7, 2007 at 12:57 PM
Its about damn time.
Viper1 on April 7, 2007 at 1:34 PM
AMEN!
Highrise on April 7, 2007 at 4:05 PM
AMEN AGAIN!
Kini on April 7, 2007 at 4:26 PM
In the case of far too many of them, you’ll see spineless, corrupt, America-hating, Socialist-wannabee surrender monkeys. And you don’t need the glasses for that.
For anybody that’s interested, Roddy Piper recently completed radiation therapy for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which was first discovered back in November. Hopefully they can drive it into remission, and he’ll be able to continue pissing people off for many years to come.
ReubenJCogburn on April 7, 2007 at 7:43 PM
Kadnine, thanks for the 1st hand account and thanks for your service. It’s because of people like you that my daughter will never have to wear a burqa.
Tony737 on April 7, 2007 at 10:47 PM
Classic…..
Now Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid will go work overtime to defund the troop…….. just watch.
PinkyBigglesworth on April 8, 2007 at 12:20 AM
Keep watching your TV sets, folks. 72 hours, and counting down, to the Great Sadr City Bar-b-cue……
Janos Hunyadi on April 8, 2007 at 1:25 AM
JH, you know something you want to tell me?
see-dubya on April 8, 2007 at 1:33 AM
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