You guys, I'm not an expert on Iraq and I'm hardly qualified to write this diary, but I think this is really bad news. Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shiite cleric who ordered his Mahdi Army to hold their fire against Americans last summer, has withdrawn the ceasefire.
You might remember the outbreak of fighting in Basra that took place earlier this year; that was a result of al-Sadr giving his forces the order to resist Iraqi troops. As CNN said at the time:
The violence has sparked fears that a seven-month cease-fire by the Mehdi Army -- regarded as a key factor in a dramatic drop in attacks in recent months -- could collapse or that the U.S. military will have to bail out the Iraqis.
link
It was considered a political/moral victory for al-Sadr, as he was able to withdraw his forces mostly on his own terms, following a plea from the Iraqi prime minister to do so. It was troubling at the time to see so many Iraqi soldiers unwilling to stand up to the Mahdi Army.
Well, here we go again, only this time it's American forces who are in the crosshairs. Any gains in security we might've seen on the ground now appear to be in jeopardy. Remember last December?
Iraq has pulled back from the brink of civil war, but recent security gains are fragile and still reversible, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, said on Saturday.
Yeah.....
Today's Washington Post tells us that the Shiite cleric who wields so much influence in the region is now forming militia groups to target American forces. Much of what's been touted as "success" in Iraq was a direct result of this ceasefire and now we've even lost that. I don't really know what I can add to this. It's unfortunate. Observe:
"All the politicians are trying to prove that they care more about Iraqis than they do about Americans -- otherwise they know the people and the voters will not support them," said Ala Maaki, a senior lawmaker with Iraqi's largest Sunni political party. "I think we could see al-Maliki and Moqtada Sadr trying to one-up the other today and see who can take the strongest stand against the Americans."
So you mean we're NOT currently winning over hearts and minds? Color me shocked.
Sadr aides, some of whom appeared surprised by the cleric's announcement, said he wanted to issue the order now to avoid seeming as if he was responding to a U.S.-Iraqi agreement if one is reached by the July deadline.
We're being outsmarted too? No way, get out!
Bring the troops home now.