US Raid In Sadr City Kills 32 Militants, Six Million Billion Bazillion Civilians

Or zero. Not sure the media bothers to differentiate between numbers anymore.

Numbers are so patriarchal.

U.S.-led forces swooped into the Shiite militia stronghold of Sadr City on Wednesday, killing 32 suspected militants and detaining 12 others in fighting and an airstrike targeting alleged smuggling networks from Iran.

Iraqi police and witnesses said nine civilians were killed in the attack, which occurred hours before Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki arrived in Tehran for his second visit in less than a year.

Nine? Hardly out of the question. But given how infested the IPs are with Sadrists, I wouldn't take that number to the bank.

And I don't like that claim that nine were killed "in the attack." How about nine were supposedly killed "in the clash"? Why do these guys push the claim that all errant bullets and bombs which kill civilians come from attacking US soldiers?

Given the fire-discipline of US troops, and also given the fact that the US would be firing in to a small area while the terrorists inside would be firing out of that small area, towards the world at large, wouldn't it sort of make sense that every once in a while a terrorist kills a civilian in a gunfight?

Apparently not. They were killed "in the attack," which suggests they were killed by the attack.

...

The military said the raid targeted fighters from breakaway factions of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army who smuggle arms from Iran and facilitate the travel of Iraqi militants to Iran for training.

"The individuals detained and the terrorists killed during the raid are believed to be members of a cell of a special groups terrorist network known for facilitating the transport of weapons and explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, from Iran to Iraq, as well as bringing militants from Iraq into Iran for terrorist training," the military said.

The statement said the main suspect in the raid was a liaison between Iraqi fighters and Iran's elite Quds Force, which is accused of arming and training the militants.

...

Attack helicopters and warplanes then struck after spotting a vehicle and a large group of armed men on foot who were trying to attack the ground forces. An estimated 30 militants were killed in the air attack, according to the statement.

In entirely unrelated news, Iranian-made EFPs claim more US lives than ever:

Attacks on American-led forces using a lethal type of roadside bomb said to be supplied by Iran reached a new high in July, according to the

The devices, known as explosively formed penetrators, were used to carry out 99 attacks last month and accounted for a third of the combat deaths suffered by the American-led forces, according to American military officials.

“July was an all-time high,” Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the No. 2 commander in Iraq, said in an interview, referring to strikes with such devices.

Such bombs, which fire a semi-molten copper slug that can penetrate the armor on a Humvee and are among the deadliest weapons used against American forces, are used almost exclusively by Shiite militants. American intelligence officials have presented evidence that the weapons come from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran, although Tehran has repeatedly denied providing lethal assistance to Iraqi groups.

...

In focusing on Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, the American goal is to reduce the number of car bombings and spectacular suicide attacks that have aggravated sectarian tensions, encouraged Shiite retaliation and undermined efforts at political reconciliation.

While the group is seen by the American military as the most serious near-term threat, there are other signs that Shiite militias remain active. According to General Odierno, the day-to-day commander of American troops in Iraq, Shiite militants carried out 73 percent of the attacks that killed or wounded American troops in Baghdad in July.

Thanks to Drew.

Surge Update: InDC has link on the surge's progress -- and its limitations.

As it always has been, the ultimate fate of Iraqis is in the hands of Iraqis themselves. Though I wish them well, I fear they will utlimately choose the Arab/Muslim path of least resistance -- extremism, tribalism, murder, lunacy, and misery. And then of course blaming others for their woes.

posted by Ace at 01:14 PM

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