U.S. and British Forces Battle Shiite Rebels in 4 Iraqi Cities

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/16/international/middlee...

BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 15 — American-led occupation forces battled with insurgents and militias loyal to a rebel Shiite cleric in at least four cities in Iraq over a 24-hour period ending Saturday, killing at least 38 Iraqis in what one American official said was part of a "minor uprising."

Brig Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the deputy director for occupation forces, said that in the 24-hour period, 14 Iraqi militiamen had been killed in the poor Shiite Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City after American forces were attacked with rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and small arms fire in at least four or five operations.

"There was no one large battle," said General Kimmitt.

The American military spokesman's office in Baghdad said two American soldiers died after separate mortar and sniper attacks. A third was killed in a road accident, it said. Military officials said that one soldier who was wounded two days ago in fighting in Karbala has died of his injuries.

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[DoYouEverWonder]

1. Weren't the Shites

on the US side when we invaded Iraq? Weren't they the ones that Saddam had oppressed and the US was going to liberate? Then why are we attacking them?

[NNN0LHI]

2. What happened to the Sunni Triangle that we kept hearing about?

We don't here about the Sunni Triangle any more.

Don

[Beetwasher]

3. It's the Sunni Hemisphere Now

Unfortunately...

[jmcgowanjm]

6. Convoys attacked, missing US men, 5 US killed separately

SNAFU FUBAR

You can tell it's in flux. There's a big hole
in the news.

This snippet doesn't make clear that Abdul Karim
Mahoud al-Muhammadawi, the leader of the Iraqi
Hizbullah (which organizes southern Marsh Arabs) blames
Paul Bremer for refusing to compromise with Muqtada al-
Sadr, and has come to consider Bremer an "extremist" and
an obstacle to social peace in Iraq. Al-Muhammadawi
last summer expressed firm support for the US, and served
on the Interim Governing Council until early April, when
he suspended his membership in protest against heavy-
handed US tactics. But al-Muhammadawi has cultivated a lot
of insider sources, and if he is fingering Bremer as the
problem, that is credible.

http://www.juancole.com/

[Jacobin]

4. "Just a few dead-enders".....

Famous last words. Wishful thinking. Living in a dream world.

Glad these asses are finally running up against reality.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

5. How can you be called "rebels" when you're fighting in your own...

...country against a foreign occupying force? Incredible.

[Bob3]

7. I love the "minor rebellion" bit.

is that like being a little bit pregnant? Minor rebellions have a nasty way of turning into major ones real quick.