Bombings continue with wheelchair attack
Los Angeles Times Feb 25, 08 10:58 AM CST
(Newser)
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A wave of violence against Shiite pilgrims continued today, with at least seven dying in a pair of roadside bombings, and nerves fraying over an unpopular ceasefire. Shiites are observing one of their most sacred holidays despite a spate of attacks—today's plus at least three yesterday—that are straining supporters of Muqtada al Sadr’s Mahdi Army, the LA Times reports.
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Assault on US-protected compound
could hurt al-Sadr's credibility
Associated Press Feb 23, 08 1:57 PM CST
(Newser)
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A volley of rockets or mortar rounds hit Iraq’s Green Zone today, causing no injuries except perhaps to the credibility of a Shiite militia cease-fire extended just one day ago. The AP reports that nearly 10 explosions were heard inside the zone, which houses the American embassy, Iraqi government headquarters, and thousands of US troops. It's the fourth such attack this week.
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Rumors confirmed as cleric calls on Mahdi Army to freeze activities
Wall Street Journal Feb 22, 08 7:38 AM CST
(Newser)
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Muqtada al-Sadr has extended the ceasefire of his Mahdi Army by six months, writes the Wall Street Journal , confirming yesterday's rumors from US officials. At midday prayers across Iraq imams read out the announcement of the Shiite cleric, who had been under pressure from some of his followers to allow the ceasefire to expire tomorrow.
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Six-month renewal of cleric's truce key to Iraq security gains, US says
Reuters Feb 21, 08 11:57 AM CST
(Newser)
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Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr will prolong by six months the ceasefire that has reduced violence across Iraq, officials tell Reuters. Sadr today sent a sealed sermon to mosques across Iraq to be read during midday prayers tomorrow. Exact details won’t be known until those envelopes are unsealed, but “the general idea is that there will be an extension,” an official said.
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Will expire Saturday unless cleric renews; could jeopardize gains in security
Radio Free Europe Feb 20, 08 11:28 AM CST
(Newser)
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The ceasefire ordered last August by Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr expires Saturday, and unless he renews it, his Mahdi Army will again take up arms—raising US fears that gains in staunching sectarian bloodshed across Iraq could jeopardized. Al-Sadr hasn't signaled his intentions, but some say US and Iraqi raids in the south of the country have antagonized Sadrists, increasing calls to end the ceasefire.
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Radical Shiite group says it negotiated freedom of 2 hostages
AFP Feb 13, 08 5:00 AM CST
(Newser)
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A kidnapped British journalist working for CBS and his translator are to be freed "within hours," according to the office of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Sadrists conducted negotiations with the kidnappers, who took the two hostage at gunpoint from a hotel in Basra, AFP reports. The captives have not been identified, but the journalist's wife said, "We are praying for him to be safe."
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Shiite provincial capital site of factional violence
CNN Dec 12, 07 6:12 AM CST
(Newser)
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A series of near-simultaneous car bombs killed at least 40 and injured dozens this morning in Amara, a Shiite-dominated city in southeastern Iraq, CNN reports. The British military handed the area to Iraqi forces in August, 2006; it has been the scene of increasingly violent confrontations between Shiite factions.
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Common enemies inspire peculiar alliance
Newsweek Nov 12, 07 5:27 PM CST
(Newser)
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The US military and the man who was once considered the most powerful destabilizing force in Iraq, Moqtada al-Sadr, now have a common enemy: rogue members of Sadr's Mahdi Army. Since Sadr declared a ceasefire three months ago, US commanders, including Gen. David Petraeus, have been secretly meeting with Sadr's deputies to cooperate on fighting the Iran-funded splinter militias, Newsweek reports.
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Baghdad Commander says al Qaeda wing ousted from the city
New York Times Nov 8, 07 4:00 AM CST
(Newser)
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The Iraqi-based terror network Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia has been ousted by US troops from every neighborhood in Baghdad where it once operated, according to Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil, commander of US forces in the city. Fil also tells the New York Times that violence is down significantly.
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As al-Sadr's militia degenerates, locals seek out US military
New York Times Oct 12, 07 1:22 PM CDT
(Newser)
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In Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad, a substantial shift in allegiances is under way, the Times reports: locals are beginning to turn from the Mahdi Army, the militia that once represented their best defense against Sunni insurgents. A lack of coherent ideology has turned a militia into a gang, and local Shiites have been horrified by the growing incidence of intrasectarian violence.
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Sides that clashed
in Karbala seek to
curb bloodshed
Reuters Oct 6, 07 3:02 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Two Shiite leaders made peace in Iraq today in hope of ending their bitter feud and curbing bloodshed, Reuters reports. Moqtada Al-Sadr and Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim, leaders of parliament's main Shiite blocs, agreed to form committees and solve problems together around the country. Fighting between the factions has intensified this year in areas ignored by US forces.
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Resolution pushing autonomous regions prompts backlash
CNN Oct 1, 07 10:10 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The Iraqi government is reacting angrily to a Senate resolution passed Thursday that the US push to divide the country into three autonomous regions—Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish—to reduce ethnic bloodshed. "No Iraqi is for dividing their country or for splitting it into three weak states, unable to survive," Iraqi's foreign minister declared to CNN.
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Iraqi officials blast killings by private security operation
Reuters Sep 19, 07 6:27 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Tensions are so high in the aftermath of the shooting deaths of 11 Iraqis by a private American security operation that the US has barred civilian officials from road travel outside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone for their own safety. The Iraqis were killed when contractors with security outfit Blackwater opened fire after mortar rounds landed near their convoy in Baghdad Sunday. Men involved in the shootings could be prosecuted.
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Blackwater incident sparks outrage at Western contractors
Associated Press Sep 18, 07 11:15 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Private security firms have never been popular in Iraq, but after Blackwater USA’s fatal shooting of civilians Sunday, national rage may be strong enough to drive them from the country. The Iraqi government announced today that it would review the status of all private security companies, and explore rescinding a law exempting them from Iraqi prosecution, the AP reports.
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