Events are moving past us. This morning I predicted that we had at most a week to arrest al-Sadr. Now, if reports from the scene are to be believed (usual caveats apply), we may have even less time:
A coup d’etat is taking place in Iraq a the moment. Al-Shu’la, Al-Hurria, Thawra (Sadr city), and Kadhimiya (all Shi’ite neighbourhoods in Baghdad) have been declared liberated from occupation. Looting has already started at some places downtown, a friend of mine just returned from Sadun street and he says Al-Mahdi militiamen are breaking stores and clinics open and also at Tahrir square just across the river from the Green Zone. News from other cities in the south indicate that Sadr followers (tens of thousands of them) have taken over IP stations and governorate buildings in Kufa, Nassiriya, Ammara, Kut, and Basrah. Al-Jazeera says that policemen in these cities have sided with the Shia insurgents, which doesn’t come as a surprise to me since a large portion of the police forces in these areas were recruited from Shi’ite militias and we have talked about that ages ago. And it looks like this move has been planned a long time ago.
No one knows what is happening in the capital right now. Power has been cut off in my neighbourhood since the afternoon, and I can only hear helicopters, massive explosions, and continuous shooting nearby. The streets are empty, someone told us half an hour ago that Al-Mahdi are trying to take over our neighbourhood and are being met by resistance from Sunni hardliners. Doors are locked, and AK-47’s are being loaded and put close by in case they are needed. The phone keeps ringing frantically. Baghdadis are horrified and everyone seems to have made up their mind to stay home tomorrow until the situation is clear.
Where is Shitstani? And why is he keeping silent about this?
I have to admit that until now I have never longed for the days of Saddam, but now I’m not so sure. If we need a person like Saddam to keep those rabid dogs at bay then be it. Put Saddam back in power and after he fills a couple hundred more mass graves with those criminals they can start wailing and crying again for liberation. What a laugh we will have then. Then they can shove their filthy Hawza and marji’iya up somewhere else. I am so dissapointed in Iraqis and I hate myself for thinking this way. We are not worth your trouble, take back your billions of dollars and give us Saddam again. We truly ‘deserve’ leaders like Saddam.
(Via Andrew Sullivan and Glenn Reynolds.)
Riverbend, writing yesterday, adds (again, usual caveats):
There have been demonstrations by Al-Sadr’s followers in Baghdad and Najaf. In Baghdad they are gathered near the Green Zone and the Sheraton hotel by the thousands- a huge angry mob, mostly in black. In Najaf,, they were just outside of the Spanish troops’ camp. The demonstration in Najaf was shot at by the soldiers and they say that at least 14 are dead and dozens are wounded… An Iraqi friend in Diwaniya was telling me that they had to evacuate the CPA building in Najaf because it was under attack. He says there’s talk of Jihad amongst the Shi’a.
Time is not on our side.
convenient of Glenn to leave out that last part, eh?
let’s see how long it takes for the warblogging community to denounce Zeyad and declare him an enemy …
Some of the commenters on Zayed’s site are already taking shots at him. Most are supportive, but this one made me flinch
convenient of Glenn to leave out that last part, eh?
I noticed that too. Sullivan did the same thing.
I don’t get it – you quote the first Iraqi without qualifiers and add “usual caveats” for the second? Seems to me on the basis of epithets alone the first person is a bit more deserving of caveats. 🙂
you quote the first Iraqi without qualifiers and add “usual caveats” for the second
Huh? I indicated that “usual caveats apply” to both reports.
And if everybody’s done panicking, Zeyad has updated to announce that things on his end seem to be back under control, although he’s still worried. Can’t say that I can blame him much for either that, or his previous freaking-out. Surprised, disappointed and saddened by some of his comments – but I’m not where he is.
Moe
One has to keep these things in perspective. The Shi-ite majority are grabbing as much power as they can while they can. When elections take place the Sunni and the Kurds will have significant representation. Ideally, the three create a sort of equilateral triangle which keep eachother in check. Any two would team up against the other when they make a power grab.
It would be nice if anyone in the world besides the US wanted Iraq to become peaceful. I’m sure everyone is aware of the flypaper scenario which is being played out here. Iraq took the fight away from the Pentagon and our shores and gave a convenient place for would be martyrs to blow themselves up and attack Americans away from our population centers.
I would much rather see these attacks take place in Iraq than the US. At least our boys have a fair shot there.
Again, the UN has lost their “Food for Oil” billion dollar subsidy from Iraq so they positively hate Bush. Saddam was making a lot of embezzling UN types very, very rich (just joking – right?) and so they would really love to see Iraq fall apart to punish ol’ George.
The same is true with the Euros who were exploiting the Iraqis relatively primitive set up, and became their source for everything from architectural projects (like lots of mansions) to telecommunication systems.
Who does want the US to succeed in Iraq? The fringe on the left see the Iraq war as an imperialist undertaking and also hope for failure. Half of the doom and gloomers (not the folks here of course 😉 on the web really would like to see the US pull out and havoc reign – just because they want to pull down George Bush and his “smirk” that keeps them up nights finding new ways to denigrate him and his administration. The answer is very few people want Iraq to succeed. Iraq is like the GOP’s private little foreign policy orphan and they not only have to care for it by themselves but try to re-educate it. They have to do all this while the Huns of every type and nationality are after it.
All the lip-service about the US getting more involved in the Middle East peace process were just words. Now when a real chance for complete and total reform in the Middle East is actually made possible – all these same folks are doing their darnedest to undermine the effort.
Does that make sense? Of course not. Politics and power grabs make you sacrifice others for your own desires.
However, if anyone really cared about these folks in the Middle East they would throw everything they have towards helping the effort. Instead they all seem to be doing their best to sabotage and see failure.
Do folks really want to see a democratic Iraq. Do the Saudis? Do the Iranians? Do the Syrians? Of course not. Reform in Iraq might set up a chain reaction whereby their own peoples might demand more freedom and a representative government!
I have faith in our Vulcans though. (I confess to pointy ears myself) These folks know all this and all I can hope to do is help sway some folks to put aside their dislike of Bush (who will be gone for certain in four years anyway) for the good of the Middle East – which really would benefit the whole world tremendously.