More Turmoil in Iraq: Maybe the Surge Hasn't been Working
by D. Cupples | Sunday, we learned that violence had erupted in various parts of Iraq -- including a multi-shell mortar attack on Baghdad's Green Zone. Monday, the number of U.S. soldiers who died in Iraq passed 4,000. Today, McClatchy reports:
"A cease-fire critical to the improved security situation in Iraq appeared to unravel Monday when a militia loyal to radical Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al Sadr began shutting down neighborhoods in west Baghdad and issuing demands of the central government."
"Simultaneously, in the strategic southern port city of Basra, where Sadr's Mahdi militia is in control, the Iraqi government launched a crackdown in the face of warnings by Sadr's followers that they'll fight government forces if any Sadrists are detained. By 1 a.m. Arab satellite news channels reported clashes between the Mahdi Army and police in Basra.
"The freeze on offensive activity by Sadr's Mahdi Army has been a major factor behind the recent drop in violence in Iraq, and there were fears that the confrontation that's erupted in Baghdad and Basra could end the lull in attacks, assassinations, kidnappings and bombings.
"As the U.S. military recorded its 4,000th death in Iraq, U.S. officials in Baghdad warned again Monday that drawing down troops too quickly could collapse Iraq's fragile security situation." (McClatchy)
It's interesting that Sadr's cease fire is credited for the drop in violence. President Bush and multiple military officials have credited the drop in violence directly to the "surge."
Memeorandum has commentary.
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