Sort by technomusic2004 - 06/16/2008 - YouTube
In an unexpected move, Muqtada al-Sadr declared... The movement of anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said Saturday that it would not take part in provincial elections this year, one day after it formed a new paramilitary group to fight U.S. troops. The back-to-back moves suggested that Sadr is trying to bolster his position as the chief opponent of both the American troops in the country...
Sort by Main and Central (Free subscription) - 06/15/2008 - YouTube
... checkpoints had been set up in the city. The city is a stronghold of anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who agreed to a ceasefire after U.S.-backed Iraqi forces launched a major crackdown on his Mehdi Army militia in Basra in March. The security official, who asked not to be named, said the aim of the operation was to arrest wanted people and collect "heavy" weapons. It would...
Sort by Main and Central (Free subscription) - 06/11/2008 - YouTube
... exercised on al-Maliki can be understood, starting with the battles with al-Mahdi Army led by Moqtada Sader, down to the recent split inside al-Da'wa Party which led to the exit or ousting of al-Maliki's prime contender, former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari. These internal Shiite struggles emerged when al-Maliki seemed to distance himself farther from direct Iranian interests a
Sort by Main and Central (Free subscription) - 05/14/2008 - YouTube
It seems that the process has hit an IED, as various reports suggest that have filtered out from Sadr City. I'm not writing it off completely, as there are several bright spots that can be gleaned from other reports... First, the bad news, from Reuters... An agreement aimed at ending fighting in the Baghdad bastion of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr appeared on the verge of collapse on...
Sort by Firedoglake (Free subscription) - 05/08/2008 - YouTube
As our representatives in congress are preparing to approve more funding for the occupation of Iraq, the people of Sadr City are being warned to leave their homes. The BBC reported this morning that: The government has warned of an imminent push to clear the areas of members of the Mehdi Army, loyal to the anti-American cleric, Moqtada Sadr. In the last seven weeks around 1,000 people have died,...
Sort by The Sundries Shack (Free subscription) - 04/25/2008 - YouTube
You know, I’m not surprised that the average American gives conflicting signals about what they think about Iraq. I’d be pretty confused if all I had to read were the occasional MSM stories. Let's take as an example some recent reporting on Moqtada al-Sadr. Yesterday, the AP published this story, which said that Moqtada al-Sadr was [...]
Sort by Firedoglake (Free subscription) - 04/21/2008 - YouTube
Less than 24 hours after Moqtada Al Sadr issued his final warning that “open war” will be the result of continued attacks on the people of Iraq and that occupation without end will not be tolerated, Condi Rice flew into Baghdad for a little rendezvous in the Green Zone ... she didn't stay long.
Sort by Firedoglake (Free subscription) - 04/23/2008 - YouTube
... to a Shi'ite political party, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, which is the chief rival of Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army. A number of MPs in Baghdad even suspect that Maliki's Basra assault was a poorly disguised government campaign to wipe out Sadr's base of popularity before local elections in October. "Unpossible" says Fred Kagan. Here's a suggestion. How about we keep treating them...
Sort by Firedoglake (Free subscription) - 04/24/2008 - YouTube
... battles between U.S. and government troops on the one hand and the Mahdi Army of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. The U.S. is even employing helicopter gun ships and heavy weaponry in the fight to flush Sadr City in Baghdad of Mahdi Army fighters. There are reporters of massive damage casualties mostly innocent civilians. Condi continued: Momentum needs to be maintained, and we are looking...
Sort by Right, Wing-Nut! (Free subscription) - 04/01/2008 - YouTube
... path and bugged out of Iraq? If The Surge had become The Surrender? One can be assured that Moqtada al-Sadr never would have " ordered his fighters off Iraq's streets ", that's for sure. More likely he would be running the joint, in cahoots with his Iranian chums. All from the "pressure" of no American troops.... But being a Democrat means never being able to say, "I...
Sort by Firedoglake (Free subscription) - 04/02/2008 - YouTube
(Above: John McCain interviewed on Iraq.) St. McCain is quickly becoming the Lauren Caitlin Upton of the GOP with yet still another Iraq gaffe: In an interview with CNN earlier today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) claimed that he has long understood the influence of Iraqi Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr: I said he was still major player and his influence is going to have to be reduced and gradually...
Sort by Nye -- Gateway to Nevada's Rurals (Free subscription) - 03/27/2008 - YouTube
The Iraqi government launched a major military operation in Basra on Tuesday, targeting districts of the city where the Mehdi Army militia of prominent Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has a strong presence. [ Reuters ] The violence has killed more than 130 people and sparked angry protests and violence in Baghdad, including the Sadr City slum named after Sadr's father. Does this mean a resumption...
Sort by The Elephant Bar (Free subscription) - 04/07/2008 - YouTube
... 140,000 by July, but Petraeus is expected to recommend an indefinite pause in further troop cuts. Moqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shi’ite cleric, has called for 1m people to march on Baghdad on Wednesday – the fifth anniversary of the fall of the capital – when Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Iraq, will be briefing Congress. A senior Iraqi official who met...
Sort by Firedoglake (Free subscription) - 03/31/2008 - YouTube
The media this morning was full of announcements that Moqtada Al-Sadr had declared a cease fire or asked his troops to stop fighting (and I'm sure George, Dick and McSame cheered that news) but this afternoon they seem to have noticed that Al Sadr’s statement is more “nuanced.”
Sort by Nye -- Gateway to Nevada's Rurals (Free subscription) - 03/18/2008 - YouTube
John McCain is now in Iraq traveling around. It isn't a political trip for his presidential campaign, he said. (I don't believe that). But, remember last April 1, 2007 when McCain claimed Baghdad was so safe he could stroll around a marketplace, unharmed, on his own? [ Think Progress ] What McCain failed to mention was that he was accompanied by “100 American soldiers, with three Blackhawk helicopters...
