Iraq-al-sadr

Stories

12 Stories

August 2008
- US Arrests Key Shiite Official in Iraq
  
  Associated Press | Aug 28, 08 1:00 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A top Shiite in Iraq’s government was arrested today by US forces, which believe he played a role in a June bombing that killed 10 people, including four Americans, the AP reports. The arrest of Ali al-Lami, who heads a committee that keeps Saddam Hussein loyalists out of government, could bring strong pressure from Sunni groups concerned about Iranian influence in the government. More »
- Sadr to Forge Peaceful Corps from Shiite Army
  
  Wall Street Journal | Aug 4, 08 7:51 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Anti-American Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is shifting his political clout away from militancy, and will disarm his Shiite Mahdi Army in favor of non-violent civic and social endeavors, the Wall Street Journal reports. Hoping to increase stability in Iraq, the organization will take on projects involving education, religion, and social justice. More »
April 2008
- Green Zone Strike Kills 2 in Sandstorm
  
  Los Angeles Times | Apr 27, 08 6:35 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Hidden in a sandstorm, militants struck the US-protected Green Zone in Baghdad today and killed at least two Iraqis, the Los Angeles Times reports. The mortar or rocket attack, which also wounded 25, came just 2 days after influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered members of his Mahdi Army to end recent fighting. More »
- Iraq Fires 1,300 Cops, Troops After Basra
  
  New York Times | Apr 13, 08 5:16 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Iraq sacked 1,300 troopers and policemen today for fighting poorly or not at all in last month’s Basra battles. “Some of them were sympathetic with these lawbreakers,” said one official. “Some refused to battle for political, national, sectarian or religious reasons.” The firings are tantamount to Baghdad admitting it failed in the clashes against Shiite insurgents, the New York Times reports. More »
- Sadr City Fight Kills 13; Insurgents Vow to Fight On
  
  Reuters | Apr 12, 08 12:57 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - US and Iraqi forces clashed with Shiite insurgents in fierce fighting overnight near Baghdad’s Sadr City, Reuters reports, as authorities lifted a blockade in some areas that had been stifling the region. At least 13 militiamen loyal to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr were killed in the clashes in the Iraqi slum, but no American or Iraqi troops were seriously injured. More »
March 2008
- Brits Join the Fight in Basra
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | Mar 29, 08 11:27 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - As the Iraqi army struggles to combat militias in Basra, British troops for the first time directly joined the fight, and American forces expanded their bombing beyond the militia stronghold. The Brits, who had previously provided only logistical and air support to the Iraqis, fired on an insurgent mortar team in Bosra, the Telegraph reports. Moqtada al-Sadr, meanwhile, told his soldiers not to surrender their weapons. More »
- Criticism Dogs Basra Battle
  
  CNN | Mar 29, 08 5:33 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - As US troops are drawn deeper into the four-day-old Iraqi crackdown on militants in Basra, critics see a long and difficult road ahead. While President Bush praised the operation as a "defining moment in the history of a free Iraq," military officials murmured that the battle "is going to go on for a while," CNN reports. More »
- FT.com / Home UK / UK - US dragged into Iraqi attack on militia
  
  Financial Times (UK) | Mar 29, 08
  
  US dragged into Iraqi attack on militia.
- BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iraq extends Shia arms deadline
  
  BBC | Mar 29, 08
  
  Iraq extends Shia arms deadline
- BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iraqi militia defy call to disarm
  
  BBC | Mar 29, 08
  
  The radical Shia Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr has defied a call by the Iraqi government for his powerful Mehdi Army militia to lay down its weapons.
- In Iraq, U.S. caught in middle of Shiite rivalry
  
  Los Angeles Times | Mar 29, 08
  
  With the Iraq government cracking down on Sadr fighters in Basra, the U.S. military's own gains with the militia are at risk.
- Bush Praises Iraqi Offensive
  
  Associated Press | Mar 27, 08 4:47 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Bush praised the government of Iraq today for the offensive launched three days ago against militias in Basra, painting it as a sign of progress toward the goals of the US war, the AP reports. Bush also criticized Congress for calling for troop withdrawals so the military’s attention could be turned to anti-terrorism efforts elsewhere, such as Afghanistan. More »