Many killed in fresh Iraq fighting - WITH MAPS

Many killed in fresh Iraq fighting - WITH MAPS

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UPDATED ON:
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2008
10:12 MECCA TIME, 7:12 GMT

Many killed in fresh Iraq fighting


Many towns and cities across southern Iraq were under curfew by nightfall [AFP]





Fighters loyal to Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr have clashed with Iraqi and US forces in their Baghdad bastion of Sadr City and in the southern oil hub of Basra, a day after running battles left many people killed.



Iraqi security officials said that at least 14 people were killed and 100 others wounded on Wednesday in Baghdad's Sadr City.



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Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, has imposed a deadline for those fighting security forces in Basra to surrender.



"Those who were deceived into carry weapons must deliver themselves and make a written pledge to promise they will not repeat such action within 72 hours," he said on Wednesday.



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"Otherwise, they will face the most severe penalties."



'Disobedience' appeal



Officials said the latest fighting broke out in Sadr City early on Wednesday.



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Clashes were also reported in the Mahdi Army's southern strongholds of Al-Gaazaiza, Al-Garma, Khmasamene, Al-Hayania and Al-Maqal.



Iraq's security forces launched raids on strongholds of Sadr's Mahdi Army fighters on Tuesday.



As the fighting broke out, al-Sadr issued a statement calling for demonstrations across the country and threatened "civil disobedience" if attacks by US and Iraqi forces on members of his movement continued.



"We demand that religious and political leaders intervene to stop the attacks on poor people," a statement read by Hazam al-Aaraji, an al-Sadr representative, said.

"We call on all Iraqis to launch protests across all the provinces. If the government does not respect these demands, the second step will be general civil disobedience in Baghdad and the Iraqi provinces."



James Bays, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Baghdad, said al-Sadr's call was likely to be heeded by his supporters.



"He has a lot of influence and he has a lot of followers. What is not clear is exactly what he is calling for," he said.



"The statement made publicly is a call for civil disobedience [and] not an end to Muqtada al-Sadr's ceasefire. That, apparently, is still oficially in place."



Basra operation



The fighting in Basra, where al-Sadr's followers maintain a strong presence, began before dawn on Tuesday in what the Iraqi government called an operation to win control of the city from militias and criminal gangs.



Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, was in the oil hub city to personally oversee the operation involving thousands of Iraqi troops.



Al-Maliki was personally overseeing the
military operation in Basra [AFP]

Ali al-Dabbagh, an Iraqi government spokesman, told Al Jazeera that the security forces were fighting against "those that are exploiting the name of the Mahdi, those that are exploiting the name of Muqtada al-Sadr".


"There will be no dialogue with them [the fighters] but there definitely will be dialogue with Muqtada al-Sadr himself," he said.



By nightfall, many towns and cities across southern Iraq were under curfew to try to stem spreading violence.



Police sources said supporters of al-Sadr seized control of five neighbourhods in the southern town of Kut after clashing with police.



In Hilla, police battled Mahdi Army fighters in two districts in the centre of the southern town.



'Ceasefire'



The Mahdi Army has grown frustrated with a ceasefire imposed by al-Sadr last year.



Its fighters say has been abused by US and Iraqi forces to make indiscriminate arrests ahead of provincial elections.



The US military says it is targeting only "rogue" members who have broken the ceasefire, and has cited the truce as a main factor in a significant drop in violence across the country.



Sheikh Ahmed al-Ali, a member of al-Sadr's office in Basra, said the group could not understand why Iraqi security forces had launched an operation against it.



"This ongoing operation in Basra appears to be security-related, while, in fact, it is a political one," he told Al Jazeera.



"The al-Sadr trend in Basra has frequently said that it supports the Iraqi government and the Iraqi forces in Basra.



"Al-Mahdi Army is not a military army, as some believe. It is a doctrinal army that serves the society. And that is why al-Mahdi Army has had a great role in supporting the Iraqi security forces in Basra."



Basra province was handed over to Iraqi control by British forces in mid-December and Tuesday's operation was seen as a test for the security forces.





Source: Al Jazeera and agencies









Tuesday, 25 March 2008

At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in Maliki crackdown

Iraq's Sadr threatens revolt after deadly clashes





Iraqi police in the southern oil city of Basra





Basra, IRAQ (Agencies)

Iraq's radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Tuesday threatened a countrywide campaign of civil revolt as security forces battled his militiamen in the southern city of Basra.

Fighting raged from early morning in areas of Basra controlled by Sadr's Mahdi Army militia as troops and police launched a major crackdown on armed groups in the oil hub, considered the nerve centre of Iraq's national economy.

At least seven people were killed and 48 wounded, among them dozens of members of the Iraqi security forces, according to police and medical officials.

Fighting also erupted in Baghdad when Mahdi militiamen attacked offices of the rival Badr militia, while in the west of the capital hundreds of Sadr supporters took to the streets to protest the arrests of Mahdi Army members.

An AFP correspondent said fighting in Basra died away late afternoon and the streets were empty even of security force vehicles.

Sadr, in a statement read by his representative Hazam al-Aaraji in the holy city of Najaf, warned he would launch protests and a nationwide strike if attacks against members of his movement and "poor people" are not halted.

"We demand that religious and political leaders intervene to stop the attacks on poor people. We call on all Iraqis to launch protests across all the provinces. If the government does not respect these demands, the second step will be general civil disobedience in Baghdad and the Iraqi provinces."

The cleric in August ordered his militia to observe a ceasefire following bloody fighting in the shrine city of Karbala blamed on his fighters, which were involved in two rebellions against US forces in 2004.

While Iraqi and US officials say most members of the militia have heeded the order, a number of what the US military terms "rogue elements" continue to attack American forces with mortars, rockets and roadside bombs.

Despite the ceasefire, Mahdi Army members are being subject to raids by the "occupiers" and Iraqi forces which are "destroying Iraqi houses," Sadr's statement said.

"Iraqis in general and Mahdi members in particular are paying the price."

British military officials said Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was in Basra to personally oversee the major security force sweep in Iraq's second largest city, but that British troops were not taking part.

Television pictures showed Iraqi troops running through the streets firing weapons and taking cover as ambulances raced past. Thick palls of smoke were seen rising above the city skyline.

The operation against the militias dubbed Saulat al-Fursan (Charge of the Knights) came after a 10:00 pm to 6:00 am curfew was slapped on the entire Basra province on Monday.

After touring Basra on Monday, Maliki vowed his government would restore order, saying the city was experiencing a "brutal campaign" by internal and external groups targeting "innocent men and women."

"This is accompanied by the smuggling of oil, weapons and drugs... Basra has become a city where civilians cannot even secure their lives and property," Maliki said in a statement.

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Maliki's Moment of Truth in Basra

Posted GMT 3-26-2008 5:52:13

Baghdad -- The massive operation by the Iraqi army in Basra could be a defining battle against Shi'ite militias. Reports from the southern city -- the hub of Iraq's oil industry and gateway to its main ports -- say fierce fighting has broken out between government forces and militias. Eyewitnesses have told TIME of several smoke plumes rising out of the city's northern districts, and the sound of explosions and gunfire. Iraqi TV channels have shown images of helicopters flying over the city, and troops sweeping through some streets. At least 22 people were killed, and 58 wounded, in the fighting.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki arrived in Basra on Monday, accompanied by his ministers for defense and the interior, to personally supervise the operation. For Maliki, this is a crucial show of force. For much of the past three years, the Iraqi government has had little influence over Basra. As British troops have steadily withdrawn from the city, it has fallen into the control of three major Shi'ite militias -- Moqtada al'Sadr's Mahdi Army, the Iran-backed Badr Brigades and a local group associated with the Fadila Party. The three have recently fought turf battles over large swaths of the city, claiming hundreds of lives.

Although there are over 4,000 British troops at a base outside Basra, they have done little to curb the violence. "We have a capacity to provide air and other specialist support if needed, but at this time British involvement is minimal," a British Ministry of Defense spokesman said, declining to be identified in accordance with department policy. Many Iraqis blame Basra's descent into chaos on flawed British strategy. They contend that in their haste to draw down forces, the British did little to train and bolster the local police force. Instead, many militia fighters were recruited into the police, making the force a part of Basra's problems rather than a solution.

Maliki's government has repeatedly sworn to bring the militias to heel, but this is the first major offensive it has mounted in Basra. Early reports suggest the military drive is targeting the Mahdi Army, which controls much of northern Basra. But Iraqi officials have said Tuesday the operation will continue until all militias have surrendered.

Maliki's government and the Iraqi Army desperately need a big military success. Most of the credit for the reduction in violence across Iraq over the past year has gone to the U.S. military's "surge" strategy, and to the Sunni tribes that switched sides to fight al-Qaeda. The Iraqi security forces have appeared, at best, mere spectators; at worst, they are seen as sectarian militias in uniform. A spectacular win in Basra would help give the army and police some much-needed credibility among ordinary Iraqis.

Failure to impose Baghdad's writ on Basra would have major economic repercussions -- already, the oil pipelines are frequently bombed and large quantities of crude smuggled out. But there's more at stake: While he directs the fighting in Basra, Maliki must also prepare himself for a political backlash in Baghdad. Two of the militias have close ties to the government: Sadr controls a large block of the members of parliament, and the Badr Brigades are the military arm of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, the largest Shi'ite party. If both political blocks withdraw their support for Maliki, that would doom his government.

The Iraqi capital, meanwhile, is bracing for a fallout from the fighting in Basra. Large parts of western Baghdad have been shut down by a strike called by Sadrists. Anticipating violence from the Mahdi Army, the Iraqi Army has increased patrolling in the city and reinforced police checkpoints.

By Bobby Ghosh
www.time.com


© 2008, Assyrian International News Agency. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use.





The Independent
Independent.co.uk

Rebel militia battle for control of Basra

AP
Tuesday, 25 March 2008

Iraqi forces battled with Shia militia today for control of the southern oil port of Basra.

The violence in which at least 20 people died was part of an escalating confrontation between the government and Shia cleric Muqtada al Sadr's followers, but British troops now based outside at the city's airport were not involved.

Al Sadr declared a unilateral cease-fire last August which, along with a US troop building and a Sunni alliance with the American forces, has contributed to a steep drop in violence over the past several months.

But the truce frayed as al Sadr's allies grew increasingly angry over US and Iraqi raids and detentions and demanded the release of followers rounded up in recent weeks.

The cleric recently told his followers that although the truce remains in effect, they were free to defend themselves against attacks.

Al Sadr's headquarters in Najaf also ordered field commanders with his Mahdi Army militia to go on maximum alert and prepare "to strike the occupiers" - a term used to describe US forces - and their Iraqi allies.

Politicians from al Sadr's movement announced in a Baghdad press conference that a civil disobedience campaign - which began in selected districts of the capital and included the closure of businesses and schools - was being expanded across the country.

Stores and schools were closed in several other predominantly Shiite neighborhoods in the capital, apparently in compliance with the civil disobedience order. Armed Mahdi Army members were seen patrolling the streets in some Shiite neighborhoods of the capital.

In Basra, until last year controlled by British forces, Iraqi soldiers and police battled Mahdi fighters for control of key districts.

The fighting erupted a day after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki flew there and announced the security crackdown against the militias.

Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, accounts for most of its oil exports, but an oil ministry official said production and exports had not been affected by the fighting.

Curfews were also imposed in the Shiite cities of Kut, where a large number of Mahdi Army gunmen were seen deploying on the streets, and Nasiriyah.

In Baghdad, suspected Mahdi Army gunmen exchanged gunfire with security guards of the rival Shiite Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council in Sadr City.

The rising tension led many in Shiite neighborhoods to stay at home rather than venture into contested streets.

Security in Basra had been steadily declining well before Britain handed over responsibility for security to the Iraqis on December 16.

British troops remained at their base at the airport outside Basra and were not involved in the ground fighting.

Last month, a British journalist working for CBS and his Iraqi interpreter were kidnapped from a hotel. The Iraqi was released after al-Sadr's office negotiated a deal, but the Briton remains in custody.

In other violence, two bombs exploded in central Baghdad, killing one civilian and wounding eight others, and a US-allied Sunni fighter also was killed in a drive-by shooting north-east of the capital, police said.