Iraqi forces enter Sadr's Baghdad bastion

BAGHDAD — Iraqi forces rolled unopposed through the huge Shiite enclave of Sadr City on Tuesday, a dramatic turnaround from the bitter fighting that has plagued the Baghdad neighborhood for two months, and a qualified success for Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki.

As it did in the southern city of Basra last month, the Iraqi government advanced its goal of establishing sovereignty and curtailing the powers of the militias.

This was a hopeful accomplishment, but one that came with caveats: In both cities, the militias eventually melted away in the face of Iraqi troops backed by American firepower. Thus nobody can say just where the militias might re-emerge or when Iraqi and American forces might need to fight them again.

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The main military question now is whether Iraqi soldiers can solidify their hold over Sadr City in the coming days. And the main political one is whether the Maliki government will cement its gains by carrying out its long-promised, multimillion-dollar program of economic assistance and job creation to win over a still wary population and erode the militias’ base of support.

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Had it come to an urban battle in the Shiite enclave, the Iraqi government, backed by American force, would probably have prevailed. But Iraqi troops would have suffered casualties. Shiite civilians would have been caught in the cross-fire and further alienated from the government. And eventually the Shiite militias, which had already suffered considerable losses, would have been further depleted.

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Still, the area directly north of Al Quds Street was believed to have had a heavy concentration of roadside bombs, presenting a substantial challenge for an Iraqi force. Combat engineers and explosive ordnance disposal teams are in short supply in the Iraqi military, which relies heavily on using sappers to cut the wires rigged to explosives.

A Sadr City battle would also have sent Iraqi forces into one of the most heavily populated sections of Baghdad, where there were ample opportunities for ambushes. Militia snipers have already taken a toll on Iraqi troops with powerful .50-caliber rifles.

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... American military officials cited reports that Mahdi Army and Iranian-backed commanders were sneaking out of Sadr City and perhaps even Iraq. People close to Mahdi leaders in Sadr City said they knew some who were leaving for Lebanon by way of Iran.

“We have seen a lot of indications that some of the senior leaders within JAM and the special groups are preparing to leave or have already left Sadr City,” Colonel Hort said last week, referring to Jaysh al Mahdi, as the Mahdi Army is known, and the Iranian-backed militias the military refers to as special groups.

Iran, according to some Western analysts, was also focusing on developments in Lebanon, where it has been supporting the militant group Hezbollah, and seemed interested in an arrangement in which the groups it backed in Sadr City would withdraw to fight another day.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/21/world/middleeast/21sa...

The Iraqi's are swimming in oil $$ so they better 'share the wealth' while the slum dwellers are currently accepting them at their word as it seems the trained miltias are "attacking in another direction"

Let IDF concern themselves with those recent turn of events and the time line required for things to pan out over there.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Wonder if al Sadr is happy with the 'truce'?	acmavm	May-20-08 06:27 AM	#1
"Operation Peace." WTF?	SpiralHawk	May-20-08 06:45 AM	#2
And...	rpannier	May-20-08 08:54 AM	#3
"Come on in", said the spider to the fly.	Arctic Dave	May-20-08 07:19 PM	#4
Won't see this Iraqi coverage of the "Campaign of Peace" reported in the west	ohio2007	May-20-08 09:14 PM	#5
Operation in Sadr City Is an Iraqi Success, So Far (NYT)	ohio2007	May-21-08 10:33 AM	#6