Najaf Talks Stall; Soldier Is Killed

[Robbien]

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

Published: April 18, 2004

BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 17 — Negotiations to settle a standoff between occupation forces and representatives of a Shiite cleric in the southern city of Najaf have stalled, negotiators and a spokesman for the cleric said on Saturday. At least one fatal skirmish flared on the outskirts of Najaf.

In that episode, Iraqi attackers opened fire on a military patrol, killing one soldier, said Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, a spokesman for the occupation forces. The nationality of the soldier was not immediately known. Two attackers were also killed in the firefight, General Kimmitt added.

One of two negotiators acting on behalf of the 31-year-old cleric, Moktada al-Sadr, said that talks broke off on Thursday because of a last-minute condition American officials imposed that seemed "illogical." He said he could not give more information on the condition because of a promise made to the occupation side not to divulge details of the talks. A senior American official said the talks were murky.

that is the whole story, but here is the link anyway:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/18/international/middleeast/18NAJA.html?ex=1082865600&en=1f7b14ddf99c7429&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

[Turbineguy]

1. Maybe I'm living under a rock

but I do not recall anyone asking how somebody in an occupied country can form and arm an army of some 3-5000 pretty well trained true believers, and deploy them to various places without being noticed.

I think these so called helpful Iraqis may not be all that helpful after all.

[RoyGBiv]

2. Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst.

There was a story in one of the papers a week or so ago about an Iraqi man who was cooperating with the US military, even to the point of openly saying he was glad that Hussein had been taken down. He said many of those he knew felt the same way.

But, one day while he was working at whatever job he'd been given, coalition troops came in looking for something, and while they were essentially tearing the place apart they, over his protests, tore down a portrait of a Muslim cleric. (It wasn't Sadr.) He was furious, not just because he, who had been helping, had been roughed up during this whole ordeal, but because shrines and depictions of religious leaders are very sacred to him and his people, and the coalition soldiers paid absolutely no respect to that. He said that if he'd had a gun, he would have killed the soldiers right there.

I mention this because of the context of this interview. He was giving it while holding an AK-47 and openly proclaiming he'd joined in the resistance to coalition occupation. This was during the beginning stages of the recent uprisings. Asked where he managed to get the gun, he said that pretty much everyone who could had hoped for the best when the coalition troops invaded, but that they'd prepared for the worst, hiding weapons in every place they could find to hide them.

When the uprising began, all many of those involved had to do was go their hiding place to retrieve their weapon. Think "Minute Men."

Sorry I don't have a link for this.

[Turbineguy]

3. OK, that makes sense

This is what happens when you have no plan. I have seen reports of American Troops performing with great sensitivity to the culture.

But it obviously does not happen often enough.

Of course, nobody could have forseen this turn of events as we expect to be greeted with flowers and parades where ever we go.

(Nobody????? Yeah, right)

[atreides1]

4. Old Saying

It takes one "Oh Shit" to erase ten "Atta Boys". So even if this type of thing is the exception and not the rule, it won't matter.