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Coalition To Deal with Mahdi Army
This qualifies for the "it's about time" award. Off of Reuters:
U.S.-led forces are likely to launch a limited New Year offensive against Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army militia, blamed for sectarian death squad killings, senior Iraqi officials say.The Pentagon, in a report last month, described Mehdi Army militias as the biggest threat to Iraq's security and diplomats say Washington is impatient to confront them.
Moqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Malitia has been a major pain in the neck. When he and his thugs first turned up on the scene in 2004, I believed that U.S. and coalition forces would deal with Sadr straightaway. Unfortunately, a deal was cut, leaving Sadr to regroup his forces before starting trouble again.
Many Iraqis accuse Sadr of being behind many of the death squads operating in Iraq. Although he claims to not be involved, there is a much higher likelihood that Sunni claims against him are correct. There is also a high probability that he is in league with Iran, receiving significant support from that country. That is also a very high probability as it is known that Iran is attempting to undermine the democratically elected government of Iraq by supplying arms and men to terrorist and anti-government groups in Iraq.
Dealing with Sadr and eliminating his armed militias is one more step on the road to liberty for Iraq. And the sooner he is dealt with, the better.
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