Iraq Violence Continues As Death Toll Nears 300

CNN:

A strict curfew was extended indefinitely in the Iraqi capital Sunday as the death toll mounted from clashes between government troops and Shiite Muslim militants.

Fighting sparked by a government-led push against "outlaw" militias in the southern city of Basra had left more than 280 people dead by Saturday, according to Iraqi authorities.

The unrest has stretched across southern Iraq's Shiite heartland up to Baghdad, where a ban on pedestrian and vehicle traffic was kept in place just hours before it was due to expire Sunday morning.

Read the whole story: CNN

Comments

[Redrover666]

I've never seen such hypocrisy in my whole life. All I see here is Republicans this Republicans that. How can any of you type a single word of blame. Surely democrats have heard the expression "Constitutional Checks and Balances".

Just what the hell have your elected representatives (in the majority) been doing up there in DC? I'll tell you what they've been doing. They specifically gave Bush permission to go to war. If they felt they were duped they should and could have stopped it. They haven't for 5 years and don't plan on it if they get the white house.

At least Republicans have some sort of convictions and have the moral courage to stand by them. What I see here from democrats is finger pointing and blame for a war you sanctioned and have consistently enabled. The days of saying you were lied to are well past.

While democrats have blamed Republicans for the deaths of women and children, they have made darn sure the president didn't run out of ammo. The lowest kind of hypocrisy.

[Redrover666]

I keep reading all these brilliant suggestions from the left. Included with the genius of these insights is the thoughtful necessity of pointing out that everyone else, republicans specifically, are idiots.

Why in the heck haven't these great minds put an end to all these troubles, especially since they hold a majority in both houses? How did these enlightened souls, lose two presidential elections in a row to someone they have informed us is a moron?

This is a sad state of affairs and I can understand their angst. All the polls seem to indicate that if there were an election today, THEY WOULD LOSE AGAIN!!

Must suck to be so smart, yet be relegated to shouting nasty crap from the peanut gallery.

[forpeace]

*

This Chaos is created by Bush Administration and their brain dead followers and supporters in the name of Exporting American Democracy by Force, either you want it or not!

Now, go vote for McBush to carry on Bush's Failure.

*

[Redrover666]

We will. Thank you very much.

[Ramirez]

Works for me.

[forpeace]

*

Ramirez
Works for me.
===============

I would be surprised if this wouldn't work for you Ramirez.

Ignorance is blessing!

*

[Curt]

One more fun fact for republicans.

at the same time they were busy arming Saddam with chemicals, the Christian Right adopted the Mujahideen as their favorite project. They even sent around a "biblical checklist" for grading US congressman as to how close they were to the "Christian" political line. If a congressman didn't support the radical Muslim Muj, he or she was downgraded by the evangelicals and fundamentalists.
One of those people was a young member of the fabulously wealthy Bin Laden construction dynasty, Usama.

[chinaskee]

No surprise here. The left always supports armed militant groups when they try to overthrow a democratically elected government. They don't have the courage to try anything like this at home but they sure do love to live vicariously through somebody elses violent revolution and cheer the fighters on.

[Beowoof]

Actually the left and right don't believe in arming all sides while watching men, women and children dye off senselessly.

[browndog2]

It has been reported that the fighting in Bazra is between Iraqi forces and BREAKAWAY factions of the Mahdi army.al Sadr's cease fire has never been lifted, so how can he be calling for a truce when his army isn't involved?

[cdnnewsjunky]

The Republicans are obviously in melt down mode over this! Notice how they have commanded their cheerleaders to swamp HuffPo with their ridiculous lies and pathetic claims, that no one but an imbecile would believe.

Of course none of these cheerleaders are actually going to do anything to change how bad things are going in Iraq. It's much safer sitting in their mother's basement, cheerleading on the criminals responsible for not only unleashing Saddam on Iraq, but also of engeneering an illegal invasion of a soverign country.

That's Republicans for you, one minute your their hero, their golden haired boy, and then next minute your their sworn enemy. Can't trust a Republican, a lesson Saddam learned the hard way!

[browndog2]

The melt-down is the ability of lefty nutjobs to process information logically. Everything that happens in Iraq "proves" their point. As to these rediculous lies,care to be specific? Furthermore,don't mistake republicans for the Bush administration. Bush is an idiot.Period.

[owiseone]

Yet is is Republicans who enable Bush and his administration, and continue to protect, encourage and aggrandize him. How do you explain this?

I agree that the neocons are not even Americans in thought or action. But they got elected and stay powerful with the CONTINUING support of Republicans in Congress and elsewhere.

[driven989]

Hmmm, so does Iraq now have the right to invade America?!

[ladygreenslippers]

forget these politician - you guys remember 911? can you imagine 5 years and tens of thousands Iraqis dead - every single day dealing with death and violence. Antidepressants are selling like McDonalds on the streets of Iraq. I wonder why.

[Ramirez]

"Since the fighting began on Tuesday 358 Mahdi Army fighters were killed, 531 were wounded, 343 were captured, and 30 surrendered. The US and Iraqi security forces have killed 125 Mahdi Army fighters in Baghdad alone, while Iraqi security forces have killed 140 Mahdi fighters in Basra. "

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/03/mahdi_army_taking_si.php

[HumeSkeptic]

You sure have great and reliable sources! Jeeeez.

[Erdgeist]

Do you think anyone but those loyal to the Bush regime takes the journalism of Bill Roggio seriously? This reminds me of Vietnam (I am a Vietnam veteran). We heard the same kind of glowing reports but the fact was this: our position, from Jump Street, was FUBAR. And so it is in Iraq since the day we invaded it for oil. And you must know that the Green Zone has no political power whatsoever in all of Iraq, except where it is. it can't even secure "Route Irish"! The real power of Iraq is in the control of the militias--and there is nothing your Army or a division of hard charging Marines can do to change the politics of Iraq.

[Ramirez]

Right now the government of Iraq is in direct conflict with those militias you believe are in control. Maybe it's as hopeless as you say; maybe not. We'll see if you're right.

[forpeace]

*

Ramirez
==========­==========­==

It seems like counting people who are killed makes you very excited!

*

[Steamboater]

This isn't the first time al Sadr had declared a truce when he's been boxed in. The man's a coward. The Iraqi government gave al Sadr an ultimatum which it's not willing to back up. Now it appears, it's the Iraqi government that will cave in to an ultimatum and give al Sadr what he wants. What a black comedy Iraq is.

[cdnnewsjunky]

The only comedy here, is watching idiot Republicans trying to manage their illegal invasion!

[HumeSkeptic]

Boxed in? He controls Basra. The guy is a nut, but a coward he is not.

[Ramirez]

How does he "control Basra" from Iran?
From the Telegraph:
*****
Moqtada al-Sadr in seminary in Iran's Qom
By Kay Biouki in Tehran and Colin Freeman
Last Updated: 2:23am BST 30/03/2008

Be it fighting the occupation, sectarian bloodletting, or internecine squabbling with his fellow Shia, the fiery cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has waged war on almost every front in Iraq's turbulent past five years.

Now, though, the leader of the Mehdi Army militia is far away from the battlefield, having swapped Iraq for the peace of a seminary in neighbouring Iran.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/30/wiraq430.xml

[Xander]

Coward? He's anything but. And he's not even a nut, like one of the other responders said. He's just a very smart man who wants America out of his country. He's not boxed in--he controls Basra, for crying out loud.

The difference between him and the right-wing nutjobs (you included)? He's not saying "Our goal WILL be accomplished, and I don't care how many lives of OTHER people have to be ended to do it!"

[3443649]

Wake up people! Bush, Cheney and the Neocons. Promoted this Democracy Crap in Iraq for the oil only! And it has failed. BIG TIME! Iraq will never be a democratic country!! The countries of the middle east have been under fifedoms for centuries, and no despised invader will ever be able to instill any form of alien governance on these people of the middle east. Even under Sadam, this system was in force. With allegiance to Sadam, under threat of total eradication of that clan, if it did not abide by his dictates.
It is time for the dumbells in DC to face this fact! Give up, get out ! And let these people settle thier freedom as they see fit. Once that has been settled. Offer assistance in what ever valid way they may need, as friends, not pompious thieves after the wealth of the country as we are now.

[timothe]

Yeah! Those Iraqi don't want to be free. Oppression is all they've known and all they want to know. Especially the women....they love not having any rights!

[forpeace]

*

timothe
Yeah! Those Iraqi don't want to be free........
===================

What makes you qualified to speak on behalf of Iraqis, please give me only one good reason?!

*

[carlgt1]

oooh, he's running scared offering a truce, that means Bush & freedom won again! ;-)

[EspritDeVoltaire]

I believe you're misinterpreting this, however that's not surprising as I haven't seen you be right in any of your posts which I've read. This is a show of power not conceding defeat. Al-Sadr is demonstrating that he has the most control of the situation, more than al-Maliki or the US.

[ProfessorDuh]

"Offering" a truce? He dictated the terms of a truce which leaves him in power.

[TIMEATELL]

You must not be familiar with the art of negotiation.

[EspritDeVoltaire]

my apologies carlgt1, I believe that a reply made to Northern Cross came to you somehow.

[minnehot]

Al Sadr's surrender means the McCain SURGE continues to work.

The Democratic party dismay in the success of the Surge continues. Their hopes the Al Sadr/militia fighting meant a failure of the Surge have been dashed. THE SURGE continues to triumph and the Harry 'The War is Lost" Reid, and the rest need a new script. Might I suggest:

MAC IS BACK, 100 MORE YEARS!

[Curt]

We handed control over Fallujah, , Sadr City, and now Basra to al-sadr only to have to take back that control.
The repukelietard policy of bribe and appeasement is as big of a failure as everything else they have tried in Iraq.

When is enough enough?
When can we get back to hunting down the real Al-Qaida which is not in Iraq and stop giving Osama Bush-Laden a recruitment rallying cry?

Cut the head off the beast and the beast dies. Too bad repukes only believe in clipping it's toenails.

[browndog2]

Besides the fact that all your "facts" are factually inacurate,if there are no al-qaida in Iraq,where did they go?

[timothe]

WE'RE not attacking the rebels in Basra. The Iraqi government is doing the fighting.
WE'RE not taking on Al-Sadr. It is the Iraqi government that is using a show of force to get Al-Sadr to come to the table of democracy.

But I understand, Curt. You've never let facts on the ground get in the way of your derangement before. Why start now?

[lornejl]

Any war mongers out there want to show me a quote pre occupation saying we are staying in Iraq for 5 years ? 4 years ? 3 years ? 2 years ? Thats right, there were none.

[Ramirez]

If FDR had said we were going to be in Germany for 60 years we might have rethought that Normandy thing.

[Curt]

Germany pays for those bases annually.

When are the Iraqi's going to start to pay for us to keep them safe?