Third Day Of Fighting Takes Over Iraq

Intense fighting between Iraqi Shiite militiamen and US And Iraqi forces has been raging in Iraq over the past three days. The fighting threatens to end a Mahdi Army cease-fire that is credited for many security gains in Iraq. Below are a couple reports on the violence and discontent throughout the country:

AP: Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Says He'll Pursue Fight To "The End"

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is promising to pursue his fight against Shiite militias in Basra to "the end."

Al-Maliki made his pledge to Basra area tribal leaders Thursday as military operations against the militias continued for a fourth day despite stiff resistance.

AP: Green Zone Hit For Fourth Day This Week:

Shiite militants are hammering the U.S.-protected Green Zone with rockets and mortars for the fourth day this week.

Thick, black smoke is billowing from inside the heavily fortified home to the U.S. Embassy and Iraqi government.

AP: Tens Of Thousands Of Shiites Protest:

Tens of thousands of Shiites took to Baghdad's streets to protest the government crackdown on militias in Basra as heavy fighting between Iraqi security forces and gunmen erupted for a third day in the southern oil port and the capital.

Iraqi officials reported 17 more people killed in overnight clashes in Baghdad's main Shiite district of Sadr City and raised the number of deaths from fighting in the southern city of Hillah to at least 60.

Mounting anger focused on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite who is personally overseeing an operation against Shiite militias dominated by followers of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr amid a violent power struggle in Basra, Iraq's southern oil hub near the Iranian border.

Comments

[desmirl]

Why is everyone so worked up over this? According ot our Beloved Pretzeldent, the war in the Middle
East is ROMANTIC. Hey, our soldiers get to see the world and get paid for it, eat three squares a day, and revel in the ROMANCE of getting their asses shot and blown off. What could be more ROMANTIC?

[Curt]

Bush is envious. He wishs he could go to Iraq and get shot at by some disgruntled Iraqi who hasn't had a job in the last five years while this administration has outsourced every reconstruction job and ended all Iraqi programs meant to help Iraqis.

[ChiGuy]

"We're succeeding. I don't care what anybody says."
- John McCain

Better call Webster's. They've apparently missed a new definition of the word "success".

[HumeSkeptic]

You are always emphasizing the negative, Jihadist. You fail to point out that we have already completed 5 years of the 100 year success program.

[ChiGuy]

LOL!!

I now see the error of my ways.
I am duly humbled by your extensive mathematical acumen, HS.
Thank you for setting me straight.

[HumeSkeptic]

Look at the positive side, the glass is 1/20th full, just 95 more years to go.

[oneeyedodin]

wish the sen sors would fucoff

[desmirl]

Learn to express yourself with a kind of vigorous elegance that makes the folks on the other side of the argument writhe with emotional pain. Then the censors won't bother you.

[Synoia]

Yes, and we've only made $500 Billion in revenue so far! We see an opportunity for at lease $5 Trillion in revenues, and about $1 Trillion in profit & executive bonuses! We are aiming to get 1% of this opportunity.

The upside for our company, Peaceful Intentions Inc, is very positive. What recession?

[syllepsis]

"A bomb struck an oil pipeline Thursday in Basra, a local oil official said, declining to be identified because he was not authorized to release the information.

Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani, however, sought to assure international oil companies. The security situation in Basra "is still unstable ... but this has not reflected negatively (on) works at oil output and export installations," al-Shahristani told the U.S.-funded Radio Sawa."

Let's keep our eyes on what's really important!

[getrealalready]

OBAMA 08

[loki]

Hey Huffpo, your missing a good story to cover here. Apparently , Bush is having computers destroyed without staying in accordance with the law and backing them up first . No way to trace emails or anything else if there are no back ups.. More Presidential perks?
http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/03/7738_white_house_des.html

[getoffmedz]

Well over 60% of Iraqi are Shia. Is the "current U.S. installed government" attempting to provoke major unrest?

It's working.

[Synoia]

Yes we have to win. And it's unpatriotic for you to complain about the high cost of Oil when we are fighting for our freedom. And we are winning the Oil profit war.

[missmarple]

How sad it is to lose over 4,000 of our troops to be back where we were in 2006. How many more are we going to lose in this Administration's determination to inflict Democracy on a Country that didn't ask for it and doesn't want it?

[humuhumunukunukuapuaa]

Never forget: McCain has promised another 100 years of this! Mission Accomplished!

[getrealalready]

So all you McCain followers will have blood on your hands if McCain wins and he follows in the footsteps of the worst President this country has ever known.

[loki]

But that is what they love. To pretend that they are the ones who are doing to real killing. I think it goes along with the greed thing.

[muktukcanuck]

The really scarey thing is that McCain may win, and this whole thing could go on until the house of cards is in the back yard, not across the world.

[getrealalready]

The really scary thing is that there's another person running for President that said "yes" to war. Her argument, or any of her explanations now, all fortified by denial and pathological lies.

[natasyenehc]

Hilary Clinton you voted for this war and lent support and credibilty to GW Bush.

Till date you have never apologised for this grave error in judgement.

I could forgive your lying, bullying, manipulative, wily ways.

But not this. 4000 dead Americans and hundreds of thousands innocent men, women and children in Iraq.

Take a hike Hilary Rodham Clinton, and take John McCain your fellow "patriot" with you

[BardEric]

Scapegoat much? Why not blame all of congress and the Senate while we are at it? And newsflash; GW is resposible for the Iraq war..If Hillary had been commander and chief at the time of the vote the inspectors would have had more time to prove that Dubyas claims were all bogus, and we never would have gotten into the mess we are in now.

[guntotinganglion]

Actually, it's just al Qaeda trying to make Bushemada look bad. They have a very robust PR organization who's only job is to make Bushemada look bad.

[MikeDu]

We're only 3 days into this. We don't know what's going on. Perhaps Sadhr is flexing his muscles a little as a show of strength and will soon stand down. Alternatively, this may be the opening battle of Armageddon. What will the U.S. do if all government authority collapses, if the whole structure is razed to the ground? We'll be left guarding gutted buildings again like 2003. Don't say it can't happen. In 2002 we saw the entire Taliban government collapse like a house of cards. Is the Maliki governent any more secure?

[BronxBorn]

This is all good for osama bin laden. That thug is having a fine day.
And that boys and girls, really, really, really ,sucks.

[getoffmedz]

Like many Americans you seem to be confused over Iraq and the late Usama Bin Laden.

[BronxBorn]

Even if he is dead, the goal of A.Q is only furthered by the U.S occupation, that, BTW, morphed A.Q from an organization to a movement.
Movements are like cockroaches, you think you got em, but they're still lurking behind the walls.

[humuhumunukunukuapuaa]

They say Bush got a Garmin GPS for Christmas last year... but all it says is "Get ready to turn the corner... get ready to turn the corner.... get ready to turn the corner..."

[zippywpinhead]

not true!

it also says "Mission Accomplished" over and over...

[GarsLuber]

nope...

it says, 'have more potato chips, Mr. President'