Strategypage: US/Iraq Invades Sadrists Without A Formal Declaration of War

I like the sound of this:

2006: Without much fanfare, much less a press release, the government and Coalition troops have gone to war with Moqtada al Sadrs Mahhi Army militia. Leaders are being arrested or killed. The raids are being carried out with overwhelming speed and force, so that pro-Sadr gunmen have little chance to put up effective resistance. Some of the raids are in support of an effort to find five civilian security contractors (four Americans and an Austrian), who are held by a Shia militia for ransom, or political purposes. No one is sure, and that apparently includes the kidnappers. The five men were seized six weeks ago.

That jibes with a report about the arrest of one of al-Sadr's top aids. The US military and Iraq government downplayed his relationship with al-Sadr, and said he was merely a suspect in bombings. It's cute -- the Muslim way of war. Go to war without admitting you're doing so.

And on those hostages: MyPetJawa has video of them, released by their captors, the Sadrist Militia "The Mujadeen of Jerusalem."

Thanks to Arthur for the Strategypage tip.

posted by Ace at 04:00 PM

| Access Comments