U.S. airpower deployed in Basra.
By on Mar 29th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
U.S. airpower deployed in Basra.
Time reports:
Despite having been initiated by the Iraqi government, the offensive by Iraqi security forces against militiamen in Basra is increasingly drawing in the United States, both militarily and politically. U.S. air power was used in the key port city for the first time on Thursday night in support of Iraqi forces trying to dislodge fighters of Moqtada Sadr’s Mahdi Army, and U.S. troops clashed with Mahdi Army militants in the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City on Friday.
Despite this U.S. involvement, the Washington Post notes that in September, when lawmakers asked Gen. David Petraeus about the increasing violence amongst Shiite groups in Basra, Petraeus replied it was an “Iraqi problem” with an “Iraqi solution.”
Update More from the AP:
In Basra, U.S. jets dropped two precision-guided bombs at midday Saturday on a suspected militia stronghold at Qarmat Ali north of the city, British military spokesman Maj. Tom Holloway said. "My understanding was that this was a building that had people who were shooting back at Iraqi ground forces," Holloway said. Iraqi police said that earlier in the day a U.S. warplane strafed a house and killed eight civilians, including two women and one child. They spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release the information.
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Petraeus has an Iraq problem.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:07 pmThis is too easy. The Iraqi solution is to call in the U.S. troops!
March 29th, 2008 at 7:07 pmTo bomb is to admit failure.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:09 pmPull it together dude. I think you might be best equipped to try to work a single silly angle at a time. Just saying…
March 29th, 2008 at 7:18 pmAl Sadr will win and the US will lose. This is not the US’s problem it is an Iraq problem. Notice how no one came in to take sides in the US Civil War. Notice no other country is joining the US. All the lies and cover ups that have been told by the White House in the last 7 years. But Cheney at lease let the American people know what he thinks about the matter with his famous word SO! Bush will continue to spin a new lie and more soldiers will die as the US gets in the middle of the Iraq Civil War. Bush will ask for more money and we will slide into a depression. The Senior Democrats are only interested in telling Hillary to drop out of the race and deny voters their rights. If they would spend a couple of hours doing their job that they were elected to do maybe our troops could come home.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:21 pmLet’s review. Five years, 4,000+ U.S. dead, unnumbered Iraqi dead and trillions of dollars has brought us to the point where we are launching air strikes in Baghdad; just like day one.
What progress?
March 29th, 2008 at 7:21 pmWintermd.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:29 pmI strongly suggest some sort of Emeril type “Bam” to this schick and quickly. Otherwise I might be forced to gong you
It is an Iraqi problem but now its becoming ours because Bush, Cheney and Betrayus are letting it happen or they want it to.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:30 pmWe are being sucked into a morass that resembles Vietnam. And the end result will be the same or very likely worse. Much Worse.
What’s the deal with the “new” trolls? Lead based cereal? Unshielded microwave ovens? Religious “education”?
Seriously. They aren’t even worth bashing.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:36 pmI’m waiting for Bush to re-don that flight suit and tell the world that major combat operations have resumed in Iraq.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:40 pmGreat quote on FARK
Howard Dean 2004: “Who would you rather have in charge of the defense of the United States of America, a group of people who never served a day overseas in their life, or a guy who served his country honorably?”
Weinermd:
Sorry dudette, If we’re going to play by 2004 rules, then your boy, the vietnam vet gets smeared for his service. According to the KKKarl Rove playbook, McCrazy, defected to the other side and spent the war living in a hotel.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:43 pmwintermd @ #11:
if its not the Vietnam line, then its the steal the oil line. Come on guys, which is it?
Another Vietnam, but this time with oil (and religion) in the mix.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:43 pmIran thanks the brave American soldiers for help
“al-Sadr is anti American, true, but he is mostly anti-FOREIGN influence in Iraq. That includes Iranians, also. Basically, if he had an official slogan, it would be: “Iraq for Iraqis (and everyone else **** off!)”. While he fought the US military a few years ago (Cindy Sheehan’s son was killed in that Shia uprising) al-Sadr decided on a unilateral declaration of peace. His “army” simply ceased guerrilla operations. His faction is not represented in the Iraqi government.
Hakim, on the other hand, IS well represented in the Iraqi government; in fact, he has the largest Shia bloc in the Iraqi parliament. His Badr organization is present in the so called Iraqi Army, in fact it is infiltrated with Badr personnel. Hakim’s Shia faction is OPENLY pro-Iranian – this explains why president Ahmadinejad was so warmly welcomed by the Iraqi government a few days ago – because the government in Iraq, led by the (Shia) minister Maliki, is VERY friendly to Iran. You do not see (the anti-American, spawn of Satan, enemy of humanity according to American TV) al-Sadr warmly embrace Ahmadinejad, do you now? But Hakim’s man, Prime Minister Maliki, was gushing as he welcomed Ahmadinejad to Baghdad.
Think of Hakam’s Badr corps organization as an Iranian version of our American pro-Israel lobby AIPAC – only armed and with their own army in country.”
“So now, when the NATIONALIST al-Sadr is fighting the PRO-IRAN Hakim and Prime Minister Maliki, who does the United States military support with aircraft sorties and armored cars?”
March 29th, 2008 at 7:46 pm“Who would you rather have in charge of the defense of the United States of America, ???
Someone with the Good judgement to Anticipate the Perils of a Christian Nation Invading and occupying a Moslem country on false pretenses.
Rumsfeld had LOTS of Experience….look where that got us.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:48 pmfrom swimming freestyle:
“Iraq is a sovereign state, or so we claim. Why would U.S. forces assist the sovereign Iraqi government and Iraqi Army in their attempts to squash internal, anti-government insurgents?
We don’t have a horse in this race. Wouldn’t it be in our national interest to allow Iraq to settle it’s own internal power struggles?
from http://swimmingfreestyle.typepad.com
March 29th, 2008 at 7:49 pmKeep chewing on those words, General Petraeus. One side of the Iraqi problem clearly invokes the U.S. role. From an AP report:
A feisty Muqtada al-Sadr, making his first public appearance since May, said in a TV interview aired Saturday that he was in almost total control of the Mahdi Army and that the “liberation” of Iraq was his militia’s chief goal.
The radical Shiite cleric also said the impact of the U.S. presence on Iraq was more negative than that of Saddam Hussein’s Baath party, ousted in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
Al-Sadr alleged that the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a fellow Shiite, was as “distant” from the people of Iraq as Saddam’s Sunni-led regime. The government, he said, was “looking after its own interests, not those of the people.”
March 29th, 2008 at 7:57 pmIraq is about oil? Where else but America can the “oil men” be in charge and still see gas nearly triple in the 8 years of their “rule.” Iraq is truly a Republican mess with no hope of Republicans ever fixing it.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:58 pmBush flew fighters! That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen on any blog. Bush flew trainers, and deserted when the going got tough and they were about to test him for drugs. bush is the very model of the cowardly chickenhawk, the feeble-minded wingnuts who run away from Code Pink. Republicans have never won a war, and neve will; they are cowards to the bone, and incompetent as well. 6 years in ioraq, and losing against a group of sand jockeys. Go, GOP, you’re swirling the bowl!
March 29th, 2008 at 8:08 pmGeorge W. Bush is suffering from another severe case of premature Iraq elation. That’s the inescapable diagnosis after a week which featured sunny statements from the President even as Baghdad and Basra descended into chaos.
Five years after “mission accomplished,” Bush is now portraying setbacks as proof of success and escalating violence as a sign of a healthy democracy.
For the details, see:
March 29th, 2008 at 10:10 pm“Bush’s Premature Iraq Elation.”
By GOP logic, we help the Iraqi people by bombing them.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:28 pmI see that wintermd forgets that Dubya never served overseas.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:29 pmIf Petraeus says this is an Iraqi problem then its time to go.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:30 pmLook, when you all get a strategy….real strategy that works.. please post it, or GOOGLE it up. -wintermd
How about not staying the same course?
March 29th, 2008 at 10:31 pmWhats the Clinton answer? Lob more cruse missiles. Like that sure worked. -wintermd
What was Bush Sr’s answer? He said it wasnt worth going into Baghdad and then pulled out of Iraq.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:34 pmIraq is a manufactured crisis to allow corporations to drain the US treasury. The poor Iraqi people are paying the price along with our over-stretched military and the massive debt is dragging down our economy, so soon all American working people will pay a heavy price as well. Fat cats get fatter. if you aren’t worth millions and you vote GOP, you are a sucker.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:36 pmwintermd Says:
March 29th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
morass that resembles Vietnam
if its not the Vietnam line, then its the steal the oil line. Come on guys, which is it?
Do I have to GOOGLE an answer?
Anyone out there teach remedial English? Help is indicated here.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:40 pmWe’re taking sides in a Civil War and we’re “winning friends”?
March 29th, 2008 at 10:42 pmwintermd Says:
March 29th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Iraq is truly a Republican mess with no hope of Republicans ever fixing it.
ah, a mess, with what 11 million purple fingers.. Naw, I must GOOGLE up that answer.
Whats the Clinton answer? Lob more cruse missiles. Like that sure worked.
Look, when you all get a strategy….real strategy that works.. please post it, or GOOGLE it up.
Those purple fingers were impressive, I must admit. Care to jump on one?
March 29th, 2008 at 10:43 pmSadr won’t turn over any weapons until the occupiers leave. I think he’s from the NRA.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:44 pmIraq is not our country.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:45 pmIf Iraq is handling this matter itself and is calling in U.S. air strikes on targets it wants to hit then it appears that George Bush is allowing our armed forces to be commanded by a foreign power. This strikes me as a deeply bad idea. Our military should be used to defend the interests of the United States. It should not be loaned as a weapon to any foreign power, let alone as a weapon to be used in a civil war. If I were in Congress I would demand some answers about who exactly is authorizing the use of force in Basra and who is targeting these air strikes.
March 29th, 2008 at 11:02 pmI remember the Viet Nam war and how we were dragged further and further into that quagmire — sadly, I see a similar situation in Iraq. There are no good solutions here. Not now and none on the horizon.
March 30th, 2008 at 12:39 am>Must GOOGLE up “cut and run”.
Google up “Hamas” assh@le, (hint..its the democractically elected government of a nearby middleastern state) then ask yourself if you really think its worth our blood and treasure to let iraqis have thier “freedumbs”
March 30th, 2008 at 9:06 amAnd remember folks, in Cheneys eyes, Basra is as good as it gets..a “sucess story”
Cheney says British Basra withdrawl is “sign of progress”
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2891738
Make no mistake, this is a perfect example of the iraqi government not being able to stand up….Basra is supposed to be a model and yet they STILL need our help.
And now apparently the seige is stopping as soon as Sadr makes a vauge statement agreeing to play nice . Reports were that Mailiki was getting his @ss handed to him, so this is probably a way for the tough talking maliki to call off his disastrous campaign while saving face. THere was negotiations going on saturday night, somehow I wonder if maybe just maybe they involved another of our infamous “aid packages” to sadr..
March 30th, 2008 at 10:05 amwintermd, what was the topic again. You seem to be drifting again. Well whatever feel free to flail about until you get all tuckered out
March 30th, 2008 at 11:16 am>Ok arm chair general, you need some reality.
ha, thats hilarious, from somone who supports people who said thay we’d be greeted with flowers, that iraq oil would pay for its own reconstuction.
>Its the first Iraq lead large fight.
Even assuming that was true, which it isnt, they just backed down tough guy. Sadr made some vauge statements about being nice and now the Iraqi army stood down. Why? Because they wernt winning. They wernt even close to winning. They didnt get anywhere. And your the idiot who wants us to stay? Why? So the iranian backed militias can take over iraq democratically. You DO know who SCIRI is, right, smart guy?
March 30th, 2008 at 11:46 am>GOOGLE “PONZI scheme” and “Social Security” together.
Why do you care? Wont you be happy when social security is bankrupt?
ps. you have an impressive grasp of the english language, have you taken your GED test yet?
March 30th, 2008 at 11:48 amSocial Security is not going bankrupt — that is the wish of the republicans who use every occasion to say so.
Social Security is still in surplus; one needs only to lift the cap on earned wages, while keeping a limit on the payout to wealthy retireees at the other end.
Of course, everything is all based upon Americans still being able to remain employed — something coporate America with the aid of Bush&Co don’t give a rat’s a$$ about.
March 30th, 2008 at 11:58 amSo, where do we go from here? From our pilots killing children to…?
March 31st, 2008 at 4:31 amCheney at lease let the American people know what he thinks about the matter with hissohbet
March 30th, 2009 at 4:38 pmBedava mp3 indir
cet
famous word SO! Bush will continue to spin a new lie and more soldiers will die as the US gets in the middle of the Iraq Civil War.