The latest:
Supporters of maverick Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr controlled government, religious and security buildings in the holy city of Najaf early Tuesday evening, according to a coalition source in southern Iraq.
This report, if accurate, is not good news. Najaf is the home of al Sistani, perhaps the most prominent Shia leader in Iraq. If al-Sadr’s forces have control of Najaf, it is either because Sistani has approved the action, or (perhaps worse) because Sistani has been powerless to stop them.
al-Sadr, sought by U.S. and Iraqi forces, announced Tuesday that he had left the mosque in the city of Kufa, south of Baghdad, where he has been holed up for the past two days, surrounded by armed militiamen.
I haven’t seen a report indicating where al-Sadr may be headed. I think it’s safe to say, though, that he’s not going on spring break. (“No sleep ’till Padre, dudes!”)
And, again:
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today that there wee no immediate plans to increase the number of United States troops in Iraq. But he said that the American commanders there would get more soldiers if they asked for them.
But where will the troops come from?
UPDATE: Per Sidereal‘s comment.
Why is that a good sign? Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz have both been saying that same thing for over a year. Remember ‘wildly off the mark’?
Then on the back end they institute stop-loss.
But, perhaps, a good sign:
Revised to reflect your comment, Sidereal. Good point.
um, wtf is wrong with Rumsfeld? There have been reports that Abizaid is scrambling like mad to figure out where to get more help. Didn’t he give his staff 48 hours to pull something out of its ass?
Expect leaks.
See what Rumfed makes me do? Now I’m responsible for eliminating optimism from the front page.
“um, wtf is wrong with Rumsfeld?”
Rumsfeld has a boss who does not take bad news or failure well.
Oh. I posted something below from Juan Cole that Sadr had moved to the Shrine of Imam Ali, the second holiest mosque in Shia, in Najaf. Maybe he had word that the US would MOAB the Kufa mosque, and moved to a place tougher politically to attack. Still rumor, tho.
And since I think the other Ayatollah’s have disowned him, tho they will not attack or capture him, not sure he would get that sanctuary in a mosque not his.
“because Sistani has been powerless to stop them.”
On purpose or something, I believe Sistani is the only Ayatollah without a friendly militia or home mosque. Part of the system