Monday, October 23, 2006

Airstrikes In Baghdad

Omar at Iraq the Model has a report that I haven't seen in the US press. I wonder if this ties to the fatwa signed down in Mecca on Friday. I thought that one interpretation of the fatwa could be that it was a hunting license for Sadrists. Omar seems to be hinting at that interpretation through his locating the air strikes as occurring in Sadr city.

4 comments:

cf said...

Just saw a report posted on FR that US troops raided Sadr's radio station and disarmed the guards there.
Omar may be right again.

cf said...

It was at Lucianne actually--here's the story:
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2006/10/23/2113841-ap.html

Rick Ballard said...

I think that is a separate action - SCIRI and the Sadrists don't share much. They exchange fire occasionally but it's not on a friendly basis.

cf said...

Maybe. I ead somewhere last night that in the latest round of strategic meetings, the military located the source of their troubles in Baghdad as Sadr City. In the past they held back a great deal in deference to local political concerns. Maybe, they've decided to forget that and let Maliki just deal with it.
The latter raid seems to have been rather symbolic (like the ridiculous CIA raid on Chalabi HQ was). It sends a message:We'll see that you are disarmed and make you vulnerable to your enemies.