Government said to have lost control of Basra

[sabra]

Source: Azzaman

As U.S. troops battle to retake Baghdad and surrounding areas, the government is reported to have lost its control of Basra where almost all of the country’s oil exports originate.

The city, according to well-placed sources, is under the hegemony of militias who do not run its streets only but have imposed levies and taxes on oil output.

“It may be too late for Prime Minister Nouri al-Naliki to restore control of Basra,” one source working for Iraqi intelligence said.

The sources, who all spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, point to the growing Iranian influence in Basra and most of southern Iraq.

Read more: http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news/2007-06-27/kurd.htm

[Cooley Hurd]

1. ...and the British are going to pull their forces out soon.

This is certainly going to be a monkey wrench in the neocon/oil conglomerate machinery (if they can't get the oil out of Iraq via Basra).

[Greeby]

6. It's not a complete withdrawal from Iraq....yet anyway

But they are preparing to pull all forces out of Basra and move them to the airport. It's gonna be done quietly over one night and announced after the fact

[whistle]

2. Surrounding U.S. troops in a pincer movement...this is not good

[soothsayer]

3. oops.

[Javaman]

One theory of the Iran bombing campaign is that if we did do that...

Iran and or the Shiite pop in southern Iraq would rise up and cut off the southern ports, thus stopping a very important supply route for the US forces.

I guess they started early.

[Javaman]

4. One theory of the Iran bombing campaign is that if we did do that...

Iran and or the Shiite pop in southern Iraq would rise up and cut off the southern ports, thus stopping a very important supply route for the US forces.

I guess they started early.

[Barrett808]

5. Militias running a protection racket

Just like the Sunni tribes are "protecting" the power lines in Anbar.

[LeftHander]

7. Operation "Whack-A-Mole"

Successful

[karlrschneider]

8. Just noticed your name is an anagram of Basra...is it a coincidence?

;-)

[K8-EEE]

9. I think "sabra" means a Jewish native of Israel?

But that is a coincidence!

[karlrschneider]

10. Ah, that explains it.

:-)

[David__77]

11. The "government" is a shell.

It has limited reach. Iraq is not just three or five "countries," but consists of likely dozens of feudal-type fiefdoms. Iraq has been destroyed utterly and totally.

[damntexdem]

12. How is this possible?

How can you lose something you didn't have?

[JDPriestly]

13. The former Republican Congress is as much to blame as Bush

They allowed the Bush administration to waste the money that was supposed to be spent on fighting the war and did not keep the president checked and balanced. They should all be voted out of office for negligent exercise of their authority and duties.