Iraqi PM gives Basra gunmen ultimatum (72hrs to surrender weapons and renounce violence)

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

BAGHDAD - Iraq's prime minister on Wednesday gave gunmen in the southern oil port of Basra a three-day deadline to surrender their weapons and renounce violence as clashes between Shiite militia fighters and Iraqi security forces erupted for a second day.

At least 55 people have been killed and 300 wounded in Basra and Baghdad after the fighting spread to the capital's main Shiite district of Sadr City, police and hospital officials said.

The ultimatum came as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was in Basra to supervise a crackdown against the spiraling violence between militia factions vying for control of the center of the country's vast oil industry located near the Iranian border. The violence has raised fears that the cease-fire declared in August by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr could unravel, presenting the gravest challenge to the Iraqi government in months.

Suspected Shiite extremists also unleashed rockets or mortars against the U.S.-protected Green Zone in central Baghdad for the third day this week.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080326/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

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5 killed in Baghdad mortar attacks
Posted 47 minutes ago

A series of mortar attacks in Baghdad have killed at least five people and wounded more than a dozen, security officials said.

Three people were killed and 12 wounded when three mortar rounds slammed into the Al-Risala neighbourhood of south-west Baghdad.

Two were killed and seven wounded when two rounds hit the central Al-Karada neighbourhood, the officials said.

Earlier today, rocket or mortar fire also struck Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, seat of the Iraqi Government and the US embassy, wounding three US government officials.

"Yes, we can confirm that there was an indirect fire attack today on the Green Zone. Three US government officials who are Americans were wounded," US embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo said.

more;http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/26/2200122.htm

[thunder rising]

1. Just enough time to get to the store for

:popcorn:

invite some friends:

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[saigon68]

5. LOL--- AssClowns

[YDogg]

2. Good luck with that.

[xchrom]

3. yeah -- we'll see.

mostly i think -- the pm's threats will fall on deaf ears.

what it does look like is that shiite insurgency is growing again.

[truth2power]

4. "confirm that there was an indirect fire attack.." Next line of the article..

"US officials refer to mortar or rocket attacks as indirect fire." Why referred to as "indirect"?

Sounds like an attempt to minimize the situation, to me.


edit> Must check for typos before hitting "post"

[sergeiAK]

9. It's indirect fire because it's not direct fire

Mortar rounds are fired at a high angle, and as such fall onto their targets, and rockets are typically aimed the same way. This is considered indirect, as the mortar/rocket was not aimed directly at the target (as say, a rifle is), but rather aimed at a third point, so that the shells are not traveling in the (roughly) straight line that a bullet would. Hence indirect.

Standard military terminology, not some grand conspiracy.

[truth2power]

12. Thanks. I wasn't aware of that. n/t

[brooklynite]

6. "Stop Fighting or I'm turning this car around!"

[MasonJar]

7. And what is the Shite oppressor of women going to do if they do not?

[ohio2007]

8. Sadr calls for talks ( wants a slice of the oil pie)

The city has become the theatre of a bitter turf war between the Mahdi Army and two rival Shi'a factions - the powerful Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC) of Abdel Aziz al-Hakim and the smaller Fadhila party - ahead of provincial elections in October.

The three factions are fighting to control the huge oil revenues generated by the city, seen as the economic nerve centre of the country.

The Shi'a alliance that leads Maliki's governing coalition welcomed the Basra crackdown.

"The operations conducted by the prime minister is to establish security in all provinces of Iraq without exception," said the United Iraqi Alliance, made up of the SIIC and Maliki's Dawa party.

Sadr's movement walked out of the alliance last year amid differences with the other Shi'a factions.

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=nw20080326154323525C404954

mookies group are the minority and on the defensive. He may lose clout in October elections if he didn't appease the more hawkish leutenants of his army by going along with a civil disturbance

[roamer65]

10. I think this is the long seen, large scale Iraq civil war.

Baghdad will soon be like Kabul. The only area under "government control".

[Doctor_J]

11. When McShame said "It's better - I don't care what anyone says", did that include

Al-Maliki? Al-Sadr? If Iraq complete disintegrates, will the US Media keep it hidden until November 10?