Quote:
Cleric Suspends Battle in Basra by Shiite Militia
BAGHDAD — The Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr on Sunday called for his followers to stop fighting in Basra and in turn demanded concessions from Iraq’s government, after six days in which his Mahdi Army militia has held off an American-supported Iraqi assault on the southern port city. The substance of Mr. Sadr’s statement, released Sunday afternoon, was hammered out in elaborate negotiations over the past few days with senior Iraqi officials, some of whom traveled to Iran to meet with Mr. Sadr, according to several officials involved in the discussions.
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Who else did they meet with? Who in Iran brokered a settlement?
Quote:
Iranian general played key role in brokering Iraq cease-fire
BAGHDAD — Iraqi lawmakers traveled to the Iranian holy city of Qom over the weekend to win the support of the commander of Iran's Qods brigades in persuading Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr to order his followers to stop military operations, members of the Iraqi parliament said.
Sadr ordered the halt on Sunday, and his Mahdi Army militia heeded the order in Baghdad, where the Iraqi government announced it would lift a 24-hour curfew starting early Monday in most parts of the capital.
But fighting continued in the oil hub of Basra, where a six-day-old government offensive against Shiite militias has had only limited gains.
So far, 488 people have been killed and more than 900 wounded in the offensive, Iraqi Interior Ministry officials said.
The backdrop to Sadr's dramatic statement was a secret trip Friday by Iraqi lawmakers to Qom, Iran's holy city and headquarters for the Iranian clergy who run the country.
There the Iraqi lawmakers held talks with Brig. Gen. Qassem Suleimani, commander of the Qods (Jerusalem) brigades of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and signed an agreement with Sadr, which formed the basis of his statement Sunday, members of parliament said.
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The Kyle/Lieberman amendment labeled the "Qods Force" or Quds Force a terrorist organization didn't they? The same Quds Force the Pentagon claims were "involved in the transfer of IED technologies from Iran to Iraq". All with English marking on the weapons caches that were seized.
al-Maliki launched this offensive, he oversaw the “crackdown” on Shiite militias, he vowed to see this through to “victory,” while he was backed up by U.S. forces, despite his apparent reluctance to tell the U.S. what the fuck he was planning before he attacked, then in the end he bows down to an Iranian "Quds Force" General to help stop the fighting.
If anyone comes out a winner, it’s Sadr, and they are still lobbing rockets at the Green Zone 24 hours after this agreement.
I liked how after Bu$h said this was a defining moment in Iraq that it was like other such defining moments that had taking place there previously. Like the looting, the corruption, the violence, the ethnic cleansing, Abu Ghraib, etc., etc. We have lots of defining moments, most of them just as bad as the latest one. Talk about FUBAR.
This incident shows that Sadr is the boss in Iraq. When he want peace, there will be peace. When he wants war, he’ll pick the time and place for when the war starts. Not even Bush and Petraeus can do that.