Comments on: Continuing Battle for the South: Basra http://iraq.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/03/27/battle-of-basra/ A Great Decisions 2008 Blog Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:52:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.0 by: Middle East » Blog Archive » Iraq and Iran http://iraq.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/03/27/battle-of-basra/#comment-315 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:42:48 +0000 http://iraq.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/03/27/battle-of-basra/#comment-315 [...] Fred Kaplan at Slate has a great article about the relationship between Iraq and Iran, as well as Iran and the US, especailly relating to the battle of Basra.   Here’s the money quote. [...] […] Fred Kaplan at Slate has a great article about the relationship between Iraq and Iran, as well as Iran and the US, especailly relating to the battle of Basra.   Here’s the money quote. […]

]]> by: Daniel Graeber http://iraq.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/03/27/battle-of-basra/#comment-223 Fri, 28 Mar 2008 22:05:35 +0000 http://iraq.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/03/27/battle-of-basra/#comment-223 Well, let's not go pointing fingers now. Just Thursday, the spokesman for the Iraqi government, Ali al-Dabbagh, made a point to say the Sadrists in Baghdad were exercising their democratic freedom by staging peaceful demonstrations in the capital. I think it's easy to lump everything onto the Mahdi Army, especially in the American press, but it seems to be more of splinter groups of the Mahdi Army who are doing most of the fighting, as well as other Shiite militias -- al-Hakim's Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq's Badr Organization and the Fadhila movement. I think Tuesday the BBC said Sadr was losing control of his organization anyhow, not to mention I think he "stepped down" last month to continue his clerical studies. On the police front, that's been a sore subject for quite some time. I think most of the police chiefs were sacked at one point not too long ago and the police force has long struggled with corruption from within and nepotism from Baghdad. Regardless, this is certainly going to be interesting to see how this all works out considering the emphasis by U.S. military officials that Basra is an Iraqi fight for the most part. Well, let’s not go pointing fingers now. Just Thursday, the spokesman for the Iraqi government, Ali al-Dabbagh, made a point to say the Sadrists in Baghdad were exercising their democratic freedom by staging peaceful demonstrations in the capital. I think it’s easy to lump everything onto the Mahdi Army, especially in the American press, but it seems to be more of splinter groups of the Mahdi Army who are doing most of the fighting, as well as other Shiite militias — al-Hakim’s Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq’s Badr Organization and the Fadhila movement. I think Tuesday the BBC said Sadr was losing control of his organization anyhow, not to mention I think he “stepped down” last month to continue his clerical studies.

On the police front, that’s been a sore subject for quite some time. I think most of the police chiefs were sacked at one point not too long ago and the police force has long struggled with corruption from within and nepotism from Baghdad.

Regardless, this is certainly going to be interesting to see how this all works out considering the emphasis by U.S. military officials that Basra is an Iraqi fight for the most part.

]]> by: Rabia http://iraq.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/03/27/battle-of-basra/#comment-216 Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:11:23 +0000 http://iraq.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/03/27/battle-of-basra/#comment-216 Hi Jeff, Good point. I should have been more clear in the post. Not one of these parties is the lesser of the three evils that these armed militias represent. I personally think that Prime Minister Maliki is targeting the Mahdi Army, and now that Sadr is out of the government, can do so without fear of losing his post. I don't believe that he is properly targeting the other two parties. He thinks that this is the opportune moment to get rid of the Mahdi Army in the south and won't do a proper job of clearing Basra of the rest of the militants. It may just be that the other two parties (who have infiltrated the local police and are elected officials) may be cooperating with the central government's offensive so that they can eradicate the Mahdi army and move in on their own. Unless there is reformation of how these parties operate, the same problem will exist in another year or so. Hi Jeff,

Good point. I should have been more clear in the post. Not one of these parties is the lesser of the three evils that these armed militias represent. I personally think that Prime Minister Maliki is targeting the Mahdi Army, and now that Sadr is out of the government, can do so without fear of losing his post. I don’t believe that he is properly targeting the other two parties. He thinks that this is the opportune moment to get rid of the Mahdi Army in the south and won’t do a proper job of clearing Basra of the rest of the militants.

It may just be that the other two parties (who have infiltrated the local police and are elected officials) may be cooperating with the central government’s offensive so that they can eradicate the Mahdi army and move in on their own. Unless there is reformation of how these parties operate, the same problem will exist in another year or so.

]]> by: Jeff Dexter http://iraq.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/03/27/battle-of-basra/#comment-214 Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:24:20 +0000 http://iraq.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2008/03/27/battle-of-basra/#comment-214 Rabia, You pointed to Major General Khalaf’s goal of quelling the sectarian in-fighting. Isn’t that exactly what is playing out now in Basra, but rather Shia in-fighting? I recognize that the Mahdi Army needs to be addressed and if the Iraqi Army can inflict a mortal wound it will be a major statement (and in light of the US Army’s inability to put a lid on Sadr, it would illustrate improvements made by the Iraqi Army). However, as you noted a sizable portion of the Iraqi Army consists of the Badr Organization and the Fadhila. I really don’t see either group of being any lesser evil than the Mahdi Army in the long-run. And this is Jeff from US Diplomacy (I singed in from my blogspot account) Rabia,

You pointed to Major General Khalaf’s goal of quelling the sectarian in-fighting. Isn’t that exactly what is playing out now in Basra, but rather Shia in-fighting? I recognize that the Mahdi Army needs to be addressed and if the Iraqi Army can inflict a mortal wound it will be a major statement (and in light of the US Army’s inability to put a lid on Sadr, it would illustrate improvements made by the Iraqi Army). However, as you noted a sizable portion of the Iraqi Army consists of the Badr Organization and the Fadhila. I really don’t see either group of being any lesser evil than the Mahdi Army in the long-run.

And this is Jeff from US Diplomacy (I singed in from my blogspot account)

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