Iraqi leader backs off from threat to storm shrine

[bemildred]

al Sadr - 3, Allawi - 0

NAJAF, Iraq -- Followers loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said
today they were prepared to hand control of the revered Imam Ali Shrine to
top Shiite religious authorities, and Iraq's interim prime minister stepped
back from threats to storm the holy site.

The moves came after a day and night of fighting in Najaf that killed 77
people and wounded 70 others, as al-Sadr militiamen mortared a police
station and U.S. warplanes carried out bombing raids.

By daylight today, however, the holy city south of Baghdad appeared the
quietest it has in weeks.

"We are not going to attack the mosque, we are not going to attack
Muqtada al-Sadr and the mosque, evidently we are not going to do this,"
interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi told BBC radio today. "We are not
going to attack the shrines at all."

Houston Chronicle

[tlcandie]

1. LoL .. someone got to him?

His use of evidently definitely proves he's someone's puppet!

[bemildred]

2. Good catch, that use of "evidently" was telling, was it not? nt

[NewYorkerfromMass]

3. Or his English is not good

His vocabulary may be as bad as Bush's.

[Kagemusha]

4. He spent years in London. No way his English's bad.

Holy Tony almost had him speak in front of the Labour convention taking place soon after all.

[DivinBreuvage]

7. Don't the British use "evidently" to mean "obviously"?

Definitely here in God's country it has more of a sense of "apparently", but I believe the meaning is slightly different in that colonial backwater.

[Kagemusha]

9. "Obviously we are not attacking the shrine." Fine but...

WHY is it obvious?

It's obvious because an American told him so. Negroponte perhaps.

[DivinBreuvage]

15. Right, but some evidently felt this word was particularly meaningful.

I felt the burning need to point out the shade in meaning because word nuances genuinely interest me, and the shading actually does matter here (as much as anything this trivial can actually matter). I don't disagree with the opinion that Allawi is only doing what the US wants him to do.

[bemildred]

11. A good question, but

since they have been threatening loudly to storm the place
for several days, it would not seem "obvious" now that they are
not. However, expecting careful use of language on that order
from these people will get you confused, so I'd say the question
is moot.

[shadu]

16. In this case it sounds like 'evidently' = 'this is news to me, too'

It seems wise, when dealing with bush and co, to
assume every player bush appoints is a hollow shell
with the Demon inside. I have seen no indication that
Iraq's new puppet is anymore than that.

I was hoping he might be a man with a soul.
We need a man who cares about Iraqis to out
the occupiers. I fear we are set up for the worst
possible outcome.

[bemildred]

18. That was my take, but one can't be certain. nt

[Darranar]

6. Yes, noticed that at well. n/t

[Dover]

5. .......sigh of relief. So what next?

..

[bemildred]

8. Well, when playing rope-a-dope,

after he has exhausted himself swinging away at you,
and made himself look a fool, what do you do?

Walk away, try to get in a few good body shots,
and wait for him to recover enough to come at
you again, or whatever he decides to try next.

[Jacobin]

10. This is your FINAL warning. You have ONE DAY to get out

No, wait, THIS is your final warning.

Now, really THIS is your final warning.

I warn you, this is your FINAL warning.


Really, this time I mean it. THis is your final warning

[Darranar]

12. "Najaf police have reportedly entered the Imam Ali Mosque

without resistance."

http://english.aljazeera.net

[Darranar]

13. Iraqi Police in Control of Najaf Shrine - Ministry

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi police took control of the Imam Ali Mosque in the holy city of Najaf on Friday, after entering the shrine to find that rebel Shi'ite militia loyal to a radical cleric had left, the Interior Ministry said.

"The Iraqi police are now in control of the shrine, along with the religious authorities," said a senior ministry spokesman.

Reuters

[yellowcanine]

19. So that means the rebel militia fighters are where????? Dang - one

would think that after Vietnam we would realize that the strategy of a well-run insurgency is not to hold cities, buildings, or territory. They mount attacks and retreat to rest, regroup, and rebuild their strength - then come back even stronger. Next time the number of fighters will be multiplied and it won't be just Najaf. It will be Baghdad, Fallujah, Mosul, Basra as well. As for Allawi - I will be surprised if he survives until the U.S. elections, let alone the Iraqi elections.

[yellowcanine]

14. Has Allawi done ANYTHING he said he was going to do? I guess

saying you are going to do a stupid thing and not doing it is better than saying you are going to do a stupid thing and doing it, though. So that puts him one step ahead of the shrubmeister.

[shadu]

17. Allawi looks like a gutless brute

He may the worst possible person we could have in there.