miloblithe
Apr 8, 2007, 09:37 PM
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070409/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq
"God has ordered you to be patient in front of your enemy, and unify your efforts against them — not against the sons of Iraq," the statement said.
Al-Sadr apparently issued the statement in response to three days of clashes between his Mahdi Army militiamen and U.S.-backed Iraqi troops in Diwaniyah, south of Baghdad.
In Washington, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (news, bio, voting record), an independent of Connecticut, said al-Sadr's words showed the American troop surge was working.
"He is not calling for a resurgence of sectarian conflict. He's striking a nationalist chord. We're going to have to watch him closely. He's not our friend. ... He's acknowledging that the surge is working," the senator, a strong backer of the war, said on CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer."
Not that I'm surprised, but that great thing, apparently, about any new tactic is that any result from it can be claimed as a sign of success.
Meanwhile, the war is bloodier than ever. More US troops have died in the last last seven months than died in any previous seven month period. Since August 2006, there have been nine straight months averaging at least 2 US military deaths per day. The previous record was seven months. So far in April 35 US troops have been killed in 8 days.
Success!
"God has ordered you to be patient in front of your enemy, and unify your efforts against them — not against the sons of Iraq," the statement said.
Al-Sadr apparently issued the statement in response to three days of clashes between his Mahdi Army militiamen and U.S.-backed Iraqi troops in Diwaniyah, south of Baghdad.
In Washington, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (news, bio, voting record), an independent of Connecticut, said al-Sadr's words showed the American troop surge was working.
"He is not calling for a resurgence of sectarian conflict. He's striking a nationalist chord. We're going to have to watch him closely. He's not our friend. ... He's acknowledging that the surge is working," the senator, a strong backer of the war, said on CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer."
Not that I'm surprised, but that great thing, apparently, about any new tactic is that any result from it can be claimed as a sign of success.
Meanwhile, the war is bloodier than ever. More US troops have died in the last last seven months than died in any previous seven month period. Since August 2006, there have been nine straight months averaging at least 2 US military deaths per day. The previous record was seven months. So far in April 35 US troops have been killed in 8 days.
Success!
