BBC - Sadr's people have taken over Basra govt buildings

[Mattforclark]

just heard it on the BBC world service... no details yet.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. this could prove ... interesting

oh and waiting for link, this is so much like 1920... god we have seen signs that this was coming FOR MONTHS...

[jpgray]

2. Basra is the Brits, no?

I remember reading a few articles on how Basra is basically run by Iraqi militias, and not the Brits, due to equipment shortages and the political necessity of avoiding casualties.

[IndianaGreen]

3. Basra is way over in Southern Iraq--it is a British controlled area

Looks like the Shias are rebelling against the colonial administration like they did against Saddam. Are we going to slaughter them like Saddam did?

On edit:

It is on the BBC crawler now!

Shall we say that Insurrection Day is at hand?

[jpgray]

5. This is going to end in slaughter if we stay, no matter what we do

:(

[ugarte]

8. Yeah, time to dust off the WMD

Oh, wait, it's only WMD if other people have them.

[Mattforclark]

10. Iraqi Shia militia seize local government headquarters in Basra, reports

say. More soon

http://news.bbc.co.uk/

[Renew Deal]

15. These people were sympathetic to us weren't they?

I think they were the group that was on our side. We are in deep shit if we loose them.

[w13rd0]

21. They are part of one of the groups...

...that was "slaughtered" by Saddam when Poppy Bush told them to rise up, and then said "psyche!" Now Bush is going to demonstrate equal or greater brutality...

[Th1onein]

4. Uh oh! The shit has hit the fan!

[JCMach1]

6. The shias are now firmly against us...

whatever the result of this standoff could lead to a wider rebellion.

[Mattforclark]

7. They are interviewing a reporter now

Apparently they took over the Governor's palace. Apparently they are demanding something or other from the 'coalition forces' (brits) and say they won't leave. Brits trying to surround buildings, sending in tanks. At least 150 people inside, says the reporter, and lots of Shi'ites around. BBC just called it a 'siege.'

Hmmm

[Renew Deal]

19. Is this TV or radio?

[Mattforclark]

20. It was on the radio

10 or 15 minutes ago.

[frank frankly]

9. this can't wait until november

this summer is going to be so fucked up on our planet.

can we survive bushco? i don't know...

[Renew Deal]

11. Fire up the civil war.

This is going to get ugly fast

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. THIS IS GETTING UGGLY

This is indeed the Great Arab Revolt I have been expecting for a while

[fizzana]

12. No-one in the media has even woken up to just how serious

this is.

Now we're fighting Sunnis and Shia's. Once again, Bush is a uniter not a divider. Unfortunately he gets it ass backwards every time.

[Mattforclark]

14. The Brits are somewhat experienced with this sort of thing

So hopefully it won't turn violent. Hopefully they'll be cool about it..............

[DeepModem Mom]

41. For most of our news media, if it's not fed to them, it's not news --

Few still do actual reporting.

[Renew Deal]

16. Here is a link

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3599381.stm

[bluestateguy]

17. That's because they hate freedom

They hate America. They hate our way of life. They are evil. They're killers. They're cowards. :eyes:

:eyes: :eyes:

:eyes: :eyes:

[imax2268]

40. yea...

they want rape rooms and torture chambers...

Way to go Bu$hCo...dumbasses...

[IndianaGreen]

18. More details from BBC (developing story)

Correspondents say dozens of gunmen loyal to Moqtada Sadr occupied the governor's office in Basra in a dawn raid, raising a green flag from the roof.

Iraq's second city, where the population is largely Shia and control is in the hands of UK coalition forces, saw angry demonstrations in recent days.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3599381.stm

On edit:

In case you don't know this, that green flag is the flag of Islam. It has the opening verse of the Holy Qu'an.

[Mattforclark]

22. They are demanding the release of Sadr's nephew from US custody

They say they won't leave unless he is released. They're chanting, "we will die for you, Sadr..." On BBC world service...

[w13rd0]

23. Bremer said...

..."this will not be tolerated"...

Can't you just imagine him standing on a balcony, firing off a rifle and telling the "rabble" to "simma down"...

Bunch of friggin idiots. Thanks Bush, for your Billions of Dollars and Hundreds of Lives wasted in the Bogus Mideast Adventure...

[VolcanoJen]

24. CNN International reports explosions in Falluja...

... the city is surrounded, and the Marines are entering.

I realize this was unrelated to the Basra information, but this is what CNN Internationl is reporting now.

[Mattforclark]

25. Oh boy...

I guess tomorrow is probably going to be another bad day.

[VolcanoJen]

26. CNN International reports Marines have closed all roads to Falluja

The CNN reporter says the city is under some kind of lockdown, and Marine vehichles fill the roads leading into Falluja...

[IndianaGreen]

27. Marines entering Fallujah like the Russians entered Budapest in 1956

How ironic that most of the new members of NATO were once members of the Warsaw Pact!

I think we are spread too thin to be in a Hue type situation while fighting Shias as far South as Basra.

[frank frankly]

30. today will be very telling

several bloodbaths have begun

this nightmare is only beginning

[David__77]

34. I wouldn't make that comparison.

There was a lot of division among the Hungarian people, from what I understand. The anti-Semitic Iron Cross was heavily involved in the anti-Soviet effort in Hungary. Perhaps I'm wrong. It seems that Fallujah is more totally anti-occupation.

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. the people in DC are CLUELESS

[Guaranteed]

28. Welp...there goes the neighborhood! nt

[IndianaGreen]

31. British tanks moving into the area (Basra)

From BBC radio:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/summary.ram

(Real Player needed)

[nadinbrzezinski]

32. I need them to post the actual story

on their site

by the way, monitoring the wires and NOBODY HAS IT on yet...

[IndianaGreen]

33. CNN will have a Larry King rerun at 3 AM

Faux will have Beltway Boys

MSNBC will have Ultimate Explorer

CNN Headline News now videotapes news that are several hours old. They no longer read the news wire.

[VolcanoJen]

35. CNN Financial is still on their CNN International Feed

For anyone who didn't know that... I only learned that a few weeks ago, from another DUer. Their newscast is live, and the feed should run until about 4:00 am EDT.

[IndianaGreen]

37. Comcast doesn't carry CNN International

The internet is my primary source of news now.

[VolcanoJen]

38. You're better off that way, IG.

You already know that, I'm sure. :-)

[keopeli]

36. Two words: Mission Accomplished!

God protect all the coalition troops, and help the Iraqi people to save themselves.

I just thought, those Iraqis are probably sitting in their homes thinking, "If only Saddam hadn't made the US mad by blowing up the twin towers and pentagon."

We have crossed over into Wonderland. I'll put up with Bush* for 4 more years if it will spare all the deaths that seem so immenent at this point.

One more thought. If American's thought Sep 11 was a wake up call, I wonder what they'll think of the next attack on our soil? An old saying they have in Tennessee...well, they have it in Texas, I don't know about Tennessee, but it goes "Fool me once, shame on...shame on...you. Uh, fool me twice...uh...fool me...uh...

You can't fool me again!"

[VolcanoJen]

39. More details here... and conflicting reports.

The first article, apparently from reporters in Basra, portrays the takeover as violent, complete with militiamen. The British Defense Ministry, in the second article, says that some guys "walked in" and "peacefully occupied" the office. :shrug:

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9195227%255E1702,00.html

Shiites seize Basra govt office
From correspondents in Basra, Iraq
April 5, 2004

FOLLOWERS of the radical Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr took over the governor's office in the British-controlled port city of Basra today.

Dozens of armed Mehdi Army militiamen stormed the governor's office in the southern city at dawn, raising a green flag on the roof of the building, he said.

Mehdi Army militiamen were seen deployed inside and on the rooftop of the governor's office alongside policemen who had been inside the building when it was overtaken.

Four hours later there were no British troops in the area.

-----------------------

This short article is from Reuters:

http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=846194&tw=wn_wire_story

LONDON (Reuters) - A Shi'ite group has occupied a government building in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, British defense officials said Monday.

"Some members of the Sadr Shia (Shi'ite) group walked into a government building and occupied it peacefully overnight," a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defense said. "There are talks going now between the group and Iraqi officials."

[DeepModem Mom]

42. BBCtv-UK live from Basra, reporting peaceful take-over,

leaders of protest saying they want to keep it peaceful, British troops not involved at present

[DeepModem Mom]

43. Skytv-UK: Bremer calls Sadr "outlaw" (flash on bottom of screen)

[nadinbrzezinski]

44. A dime on the dollar

Bremer walks into this one... and orders the brits to attack instead of defusing this.

Dime on the dollar

Granted, he is between a hard rock and a hard place... anybody care to send Bremmer a good solid history of the 1920 revolt> HE may just find why he does not want to order the brits to attack

[IndianaGreen]

47. The only outlaws are people like Bremer and Chalabi

The entire basis of the Shia faith is one based on martyrdom and suffering. They won't quit until the last American is out of Iraq, dead or alive.

We are now fighting the people that most opposed Saddam.

[leftchick]

45. here is an Update.... No British Troops in the area??

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040405/wl_afp/iraq_us&cid=1512&ncid=1480

<snip>
In the British-controlled city of Basra, Mehdi Army militiamen stormed the governor's office at dawn, raising a green flag on the roof, an AFP correspondent there said.


Five hours later there was no sign of British troops deployed in the area.

The militants, holding assault-rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, are determined to hold the building until three demands are met, Sheikh Sattar al-Bahadli, the head of Sadr's office in Basra, told AFP.

Sadr's backers are demanding the reopening of their Al-Hawza Al-Natiqa newspaper which the coalition shut down on March 28 for 60 days on charges of inciting violence, the end of sieges of Sadr offices and the release of Sadr followers, in particular Mustafa Yaacubi who was arrested last week.

Tension was also high in the central Shiite holy city of Karbala where Sadr supporters clashed with police in an attempt to seize public buildings, including the governor's office, and revered shrines.

Police in the city said at least one officer was wounded in fighting, when militiamen attacked a police station and tried to free prisoners.

[Iceburg]

46. The British aren't coming .. .The British aren't coming ..

They are leaving. There are more US mercenaries in Iraq than British soldiers. There are less than 7,000 British troops in the whole of Iraq -- compared to an estimated 15,000 US mercenaries.

[lostnfound]

48. A handful of Saddam loyalists will do anything to get him back.

oOPS, sorry, wrong track on this 8-track tape.

Dear Iraqis, we are very sorry that our countrymen almost elected this sorry, arrogant, foolish, stupid man to control the world's largest arsenal, and that now you are paying for it.

[Moderator]

49. locking

discuss here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x464077