Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
New York Times
May 12, 2008
Pg. 11
By Michael R. Gordon and Stephen Farrell
BAGHDAD — A column of Iraqi armor set out on Sunday to test a new truce in the Sadr City area of Baghdad between the militias and the Iraqi government by venturing north on a major thoroughfare that borders the Shiite enclave.
But the Iraqi forces had barely started to move when they were struck by three roadside bombs, known as improvised explosive devices, or I.E.D.’s, as the military calls them.
As Sadr City and Iraqi government negotiators struggled to complete the cease-fire agreement, the scene was a vivid demonstration that a durable accord in the densely populated neighborhood, where intense fighting has been going on for more than a month, had yet to be achieved.
“They promised that there would not be any explosions, that people would show us where the I.E.D.’s are,” said a combat engineer with the Ninth Iraqi Army Division who identified himself as Colonel Alaa. “In 10 meters three I.E.D.’s exploded on us.”
Three Iraqi soldiers were wounded by the blasts, including the Iraqi colonel, who strode through a rubble-strewn street with a bandage on his left leg.
Hopes for a peaceful end to the bitter fighting in Sadr City were raised on Saturday when government officials and followers of Moktada al-Sadr, the anti-American Shiite cleric who controls the militias, said a truce had been brokered.
A news conference with Iraqi government officials who were expected to announce the agreement was scheduled for Sunday afternoon but later canceled.
Under the terms of the agreement, Iraqi forces would have free access to Sadr City, and militia members would not be allowed to have heavy weapons like machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades or mortars. In return, militia members who refrained from fighting Iraqi and American forces would not be arrested.
Iraqi and American forces have already moved into the southern quadrant of Sadr City, and American troops have been working to complete a wall along Al Quds Street, which marks the northern edge of the sector, to try to turn that region into a safe zone. But the agreement was seen as a way for the Iraqi government to assert control over the Sadr City areas north of the wall without ordering Iraqi troops to fight their way in.
Putting the accord to the test, at least at this early stage, was another matter. In recent weeks, Iraqi and American commanders have said that much of the fighting has been carried out by Iranian-backed “special groups” that appear to have little interest in reconciling with the Iraqi government despite assertions from Iranian officials that they are encouraging a peaceful outcome.
There appeared to be other complications as well. Bassim Sharif, a leader of the Fadhila party, a rival of Mr. Sadr’s party, said he believed that the Sadrists were behind the cancellation of the announcement because some of them were “not happy with some of the items of the agreement, probably the handing over of weapons and wanted men.”
Ali Adeeb, a Parliament member from the Dawa Party of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, said the Sadrist members of Parliament appeared to be having trouble bringing their armed wing on board.
“The Sadrists M.P.’s have a problem persuading their armed people to listen to them,” he said. “However they have four days of calm, and they will use that time to convince them to stop fighting. We believe that some groups will keep fighting and not observe the cease-fire because they are worried about being arrested.”
Throughout the dealings there has been no official public statement from Mr. Sadr about the agreement. Mr. Adeeb said some Sadrist politicians were trying to persuade the cleric to issue such a statement.
Haji Abu Mohammed, a Mahdi Army commander in Sadr City, said on Sunday that his men would not stop fighting until ordered to do so by the cleric personally. He said his Baghdad fighters feared a repeat of what happened in Basra last month when, he asserted, Sadrists stopped fighting but the government continued making arrests and raiding their strongholds.
“We do not trust the government and the politicians,” he said.
On the streets of Sadr City on Sunday, there were signs that the accord was not in place.
When Lt. Gen. Abud Qanbar, the commander of forces in the Baghdad area, and Maj. Gen. Mizher al-Azawi, who leads the 11th Iraqi Army Division, toured the southern section of Sadr City early Sunday morning, Iraqi soldiers reported that some of the mosques had been blaring messages assailing the accord and urging residents not to allow Iraqi troops in.
Along Al Quds Street there was no break in the fighting. An Iraqi solder was wounded by a sniper near one forward position. A rocket-propelled grenade was fired at a different Iraqi strongpoint that is jointly operated with the Americans. There were loud explosions as American “route clearance” teams found and detonated roadside bombs.
Important questions remained late Sunday about whether the truce would be patched up soon and which groups in Sadr City would honor it if it was. Another problem was how long the Maliki government would wait if a durable truce could not be achieved before sending the Iraqi troops north of Al Quds Street.
At least some residents were not waiting for an answer. On Sunday morning, streams of cars could be seen leaving Sadr City.
Qais Mizher contributed reporting.
May 12, 2008
Pg. 11
By Michael R. Gordon and Stephen Farrell
BAGHDAD — A column of Iraqi armor set out on Sunday to test a new truce in the Sadr City area of Baghdad between the militias and the Iraqi government by venturing north on a major thoroughfare that borders the Shiite enclave.
But the Iraqi forces had barely started to move when they were struck by three roadside bombs, known as improvised explosive devices, or I.E.D.’s, as the military calls them.
As Sadr City and Iraqi government negotiators struggled to complete the cease-fire agreement, the scene was a vivid demonstration that a durable accord in the densely populated neighborhood, where intense fighting has been going on for more than a month, had yet to be achieved.
“They promised that there would not be any explosions, that people would show us where the I.E.D.’s are,” said a combat engineer with the Ninth Iraqi Army Division who identified himself as Colonel Alaa. “In 10 meters three I.E.D.’s exploded on us.”
Three Iraqi soldiers were wounded by the blasts, including the Iraqi colonel, who strode through a rubble-strewn street with a bandage on his left leg.
Hopes for a peaceful end to the bitter fighting in Sadr City were raised on Saturday when government officials and followers of Moktada al-Sadr, the anti-American Shiite cleric who controls the militias, said a truce had been brokered.
A news conference with Iraqi government officials who were expected to announce the agreement was scheduled for Sunday afternoon but later canceled.
Under the terms of the agreement, Iraqi forces would have free access to Sadr City, and militia members would not be allowed to have heavy weapons like machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades or mortars. In return, militia members who refrained from fighting Iraqi and American forces would not be arrested.
Iraqi and American forces have already moved into the southern quadrant of Sadr City, and American troops have been working to complete a wall along Al Quds Street, which marks the northern edge of the sector, to try to turn that region into a safe zone. But the agreement was seen as a way for the Iraqi government to assert control over the Sadr City areas north of the wall without ordering Iraqi troops to fight their way in.
Putting the accord to the test, at least at this early stage, was another matter. In recent weeks, Iraqi and American commanders have said that much of the fighting has been carried out by Iranian-backed “special groups” that appear to have little interest in reconciling with the Iraqi government despite assertions from Iranian officials that they are encouraging a peaceful outcome.
There appeared to be other complications as well. Bassim Sharif, a leader of the Fadhila party, a rival of Mr. Sadr’s party, said he believed that the Sadrists were behind the cancellation of the announcement because some of them were “not happy with some of the items of the agreement, probably the handing over of weapons and wanted men.”
Ali Adeeb, a Parliament member from the Dawa Party of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, said the Sadrist members of Parliament appeared to be having trouble bringing their armed wing on board.
“The Sadrists M.P.’s have a problem persuading their armed people to listen to them,” he said. “However they have four days of calm, and they will use that time to convince them to stop fighting. We believe that some groups will keep fighting and not observe the cease-fire because they are worried about being arrested.”
Throughout the dealings there has been no official public statement from Mr. Sadr about the agreement. Mr. Adeeb said some Sadrist politicians were trying to persuade the cleric to issue such a statement.
Haji Abu Mohammed, a Mahdi Army commander in Sadr City, said on Sunday that his men would not stop fighting until ordered to do so by the cleric personally. He said his Baghdad fighters feared a repeat of what happened in Basra last month when, he asserted, Sadrists stopped fighting but the government continued making arrests and raiding their strongholds.
“We do not trust the government and the politicians,” he said.
On the streets of Sadr City on Sunday, there were signs that the accord was not in place.
When Lt. Gen. Abud Qanbar, the commander of forces in the Baghdad area, and Maj. Gen. Mizher al-Azawi, who leads the 11th Iraqi Army Division, toured the southern section of Sadr City early Sunday morning, Iraqi soldiers reported that some of the mosques had been blaring messages assailing the accord and urging residents not to allow Iraqi troops in.
Along Al Quds Street there was no break in the fighting. An Iraqi solder was wounded by a sniper near one forward position. A rocket-propelled grenade was fired at a different Iraqi strongpoint that is jointly operated with the Americans. There were loud explosions as American “route clearance” teams found and detonated roadside bombs.
Important questions remained late Sunday about whether the truce would be patched up soon and which groups in Sadr City would honor it if it was. Another problem was how long the Maliki government would wait if a durable truce could not be achieved before sending the Iraqi troops north of Al Quds Street.
At least some residents were not waiting for an answer. On Sunday morning, streams of cars could be seen leaving Sadr City.
Qais Mizher contributed reporting.