Iraqi Blog re: Baghdad > "unknown armed men have taken to the streets"

[sabra]

http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/2006/09/fierce-clashes-in-baghdad-government.html

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Fierce clashes in Baghdad; government imposes curfew.

About an hour ago local TV stations reported that the office of PM Maliki announced that a total curfew will be imposed in Baghdad from now until Sunday morning.

...

I've heard from friends I talked to over the phone that unknown armed men have taken to the streets in more than a few districts on both sides of the Tigris river.

Whether the armed men belong to Sunni insurgent groups or Shia militias could not be confirmed. In fact it's quiet possible that it could be both.

Earlier on Friday, al-Sharqiya and al-Hurra TV networks reported that the home of a senior lawmaker from a "large political bloc" was raided by a joint Iraqi-American force. The identity of the lawmaker was kept secret "due to the sensitivity of the case" the report said.
The news also indicated the politician was arrested after a bomb factory and at least one VBIED were discovered during the raid. So some people are speculating that the current escalation is a reaction to the arrest.

Others believe the situation is connected to the threat a senior aide to Sadr made during the Friday prayers.
Hazim al-Aaraji, one of the closest aides to Muqtada al-Sadr warned the government on Friday that the Sadr movement would "start a revolution to topple the government if anyone dared arrest or harm Sayyed Muqtada…"

...

I can see and hear all kinds of military aircrafts in the skies but I can tell that none was engaged in any of the clashes so far, at least that's the case in my part of Baghdad.

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. Why isn't CNN broadcasting live

from downtown Baghdad?

Sounds like it's going to be an exciting night.

[Nimrod2005]

2. Yup, It is a coup...

[MrCoffee]

3. How is this different than any other Saturday in Iraq?

[TahitiNut]

4. Muqtada al-Sadr, huh? Well, Iran will have a powerful ally.

:shrug: Smirk McDumbass ... "unifying" the Middle East.

[razors edge]

5. You know what I don't get,

with all the high-tech military grade explosives that went missing from our failure to secure the conventional depots after the invasion, why haven't we seen any of the super huge attacks like the one that sent the UN packing or only a few others like mosque wipe outs?

Who exactly is keeping their powder dry here? Or do the really have any powder at all? Why do the really devastating blasts never seem to hit US interests?