Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr threatens 'open war'

[babylonsister]

Iraqi cleric threatens 'open war'


Radical Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has threatened to wage "open war" on the Baghdad government if it does not halt operations against his supporters.

Moqtada Sadr said he was giving the government a "last warning", and urged it to take "the path of peace".

His statement came as Iraqi troops, with US and UK support, clashed with his forces in Baghdad and the south.

In August the cleric's militia declared a ceasefire, pledging not to attack government or foreign soldiers.

"I'm giving the last warning and the last word to the Iraqi government," Moqtada Sadr said.


more...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7356875.stm

[slowry]

1. Supersurge? n/t

[stellanoir]

2. We should have been negotiating with al Sadr and Sistani from the get go.

Would have saved a whole lot of heartache on both sides IMHO.

But we were never interested in diplomacy, only conquest.

[MikeNearMcChord]

3. And US troops will be in a world of Sh**!!

An excellent article by The War Nerd on what happened the last time.
http://www.exile.ru/articles/detail.php?ARTICLE_ID=18297&IBLOCK_ID=35

[spanone]

4. surging into hell...

[panader0]

5. I think Sadr has more power in Iraq than the Maliki govt and the US combined.

If he ends his cease fire, all hell will break loose.

[riderinthestorm]

6. What a surprise... not.

The only surprise is that this Admin and their criminial cohorts couldn't suppress this until after the elections. They must be fuming - they've paid out billions of bribe money to the tribal leaders to keep the lid on this and now Sadr isn't playing along anymore. He must have upped his fee and we're too broke to meet it.

I shudder to think of the summer ahead. Just terrible.