U.S. forces launch new offensive in Iraq

[salin]

Source: Reuters

U.S. forces launch new offensive in Iraq

By Ross Colvin
1 hour, 13 minutes ago

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. and Iraqi forces launched an offensive against al Qaeda and "Iranian-supported" Shi'ite militants across Iraq on Monday in anticipation of an expected surge in violence.

U.S. commanders fear militants will step up attacks on U.S. soldiers or launch a "spectacular" attack on civilians to try to influence the debate over the war in Washington, where a keenly awaited progress report on the new U.S. military strategy in Iraq is due to be presented to Congress in September.

--snip---

The summit is aimed at healing the deep mistrust that has paralyzed Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's national unity government and plunged it into its worst crisis.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070813/ts_nm/iraq_dc

[iconoclastic cat]

1. So, we have to bomb and shoot up Iraq to save it. nt

[Amonester]

4. Ain't that what the bU$h/chainy/bLiar doctrine's been from the get go?

Now about "Latest Breaking News" from almost five years ago...

http://icasualties.org/oif/

After all these years of the same *bloody* BS (criminal BS), why aren't these despicable war criminals not serving life-in-prison terms yet?

[saigon68]

7. "BRING EM ON" shouted the AWOL CHIMPANZEE

[TwilightGardener]

2. The crackdown is on. We're going to strongarm the populace

to create an artificially "quiet" zone around the "Surge of Good News About the Surge". After Congress backs down, the violence will rebound--big time.

[0007]

9. Bring back Mosses & John Wayne

junior screams for breakneck speed .. faster ..

[rodeodance]

3. Situation in Southern Iraq becomes grim. Shi'a now killing each other.

Forum Name General Discussion
Topic subject Situation in Southern Iraq becomes grim. Shi'a now killing each other.
Topic URL http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1576808#1576808
1576808, Situation in Southern Iraq becomes grim. Shi'a now killing each other.
Posted by ck4829 on Mon Aug-13-07 12:07 PM

The Shiite-on-Shiite struggle for Iraq's economically important south has taken a violent turn.

Qadisiyah Province's governor was killed by a roadside bomb over the weekend, clashes in Basra Province killed at least three, and tensions are rising in Najaf as figures close to the senior Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani have been targeted in a wave of assassinations.

"We are going to witness an escalation of this conflict ... the Shiites were never united, the question now is who's going to represent the Shiites," says Mustafa al-Ani, an analyst with the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center.

The widening split among Shiites parallels the national Iraqi political fissures. On Sunday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called for meetings to begin Monday with the country's main political leaders to fix the national political paralysis.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20070813/wl_csm/oshiitefight_1

[rodeodance]

5. Isn't this the peaceful South that the Brits are handing over?

[TwilightGardener]

10. The Brits are holed up and taking fire from all sides--it's their Alamo in the Middle East.

[Igel]

16. Yes, indeed.

Wasn't it last week that the British in Afghanistan were rebuking the Americans, saying that it was interfering with the hearts and minds campaign?

And isn't Basra the proud graduate of precisely such a hearts and minds campaign by the British?

Now, I'm far from sure the American bomb'm and strafe'm campaign is the way to go, but if I were the British I'd be a bit more humble.

[Doctor_J]

15. The Brits are leaving because it's too fucking dangerous

about all that's left is the Green Zone

[WCGreen]

6. al Qaeda is Sunni and the Shi'ite militants are, well Shi'ite...

Who is really on our side except for the puppet regime in Baghdad...

[Amonester]

8. and even chainy's puppet regime is unable to pass their master's

oil "law" after all these bloody years of arm twisting (and bank accounts' bloatin').

[moondust]

11. Maliki held hands with the Iranut last week.

Now Iraqi troops are attacking the Iranut's alleged proxies?

Does ANYBODY know what in the hell is going on over there? Looks to me like a random killing field.

[L0oniX]

12. self delete

[LynnTheDem]

13. "new offensive"...

again.

[Doctor_J]

14. Ah. The surge's surge

only a couple weeks until Paetreus has to concoct some semi-believable lies.