Gates Doubts Al-Sadr Would Be Arrested

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

Gates Doubts Al-Sadr Would Be Arrested
By LOLITA C. BALDOR – 5 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday he doubts that radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose Mahdi Army is battling U.S. and Iraqi troops in Baghdad, would be subject to arrest by U.S. forces.

Al-Sadr is believed to be in Iran while elements of his militia in the Sadr City section of the capital fight Iraqi government troops supported by the U.S. military.

Gates was asked at a Pentagon news conference about the prospect of al-Sadr being arrested. He initially responded in broad terms about the U.S. view of competing political players in Iraq.

"I think those who are prepared to work within the political process in Iraq, and peacefully, are not enemies of the United States," Gates said.

When pressed about the prospect of arresting al-Sadr, he added, "I would be surprised along those lines — a move to arrest him. He is a significant political figure. We want him to work within the political process. He has a large following. It is important that he become a part of the process, if he is not already."



Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hcWJu9bbzrJZ7uNHjvMn0BuTGqHQD8VVNVCG0

[bemildred]

1. Uh oh, that means they're going to try it. nt

[sinkingfeeling]

2. Hope he and the 'generals' have read this:

Riding the Tiger: Muqtada al-Sadr and the American Dilemma in Iraq
By Patrick Cockburn
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040908B.shtml

"The al-Sadr family has an extraordinary record of resistance to Saddam Hussein, for which they paid a heavy price. One of the gravest errors in Iraq by the United States was to try to marginalize Muqtada and his movement. Had he been part of the political process from the beginning, the chances of creating a peaceful, prosperous Iraq would have been greater.

The war in Iraq has gone on longer than World War I and, while violence diminished in the second half of 2007, nothing has been resolved. The differences between Shia and Sunni, the disputes within the respective communities, and the antagonism against the U.S. occupation are all as great as ever. The only way the Sadrists and the Mehdi Army could create confidence among the Sunni that Muqtada meant what he said when he called for unity, would be for them to be taken back voluntarily into the areas in Baghdad and elsewhere from which they have been driven. But there is no sign of this happening. The disintegration of Iraq has probably gone too far for the country to exist as anything more than a loose federation."

[saigon68]

3. Betrayus and his boy scouts are clueless

They are paying Saddam"s old army $400.00 a month a head in US taxpayer $$$$$$$$$$$ to sit on the sidelines for a while

Hence the drop in violence.

[ohio2007]

4. al-Sadr Ally Shot Dead ( he's still wanted....dead or alive )

Moqtada al-Sadr Ally Shot Dead In Najaf.
A senior ally of the radical Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al- Sadr has been assassinated.

Riyad al-Nouri was responsible for running al-Sadr's office and is reported to be a relative of the cleric.

He was returning from Friday prayers when he was gunned down near his home in Najaf.

The holy Shi'ite city has now been placed under a curfew. Barricades and checkpoints have been erected in the streets.

Moqtada al-Sadr's Baghdad stronghold of Sadr City has seen intense fighting in recent days. At least 75 people have died this week alone as Iraqi and US troops have targetted so-called "criminal elements" of al-Sadr's Mehdi Army.

video
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e29_1207938458

Running his revolution from long distance in Qom.....
I wonder if he's thinking Iran is going to be a great place to raise a family and grow old. ;) As long a$ hi$ gravy train religiou$ $tudie$ don't dry up, he may prefer to put down roots for a decade or so learning the Q'ran inside and out.