Scorpion Brigade Head Killed by Bombing
Construction Workers Killed
An assassin managed to get a bomb into the office of Col. Salam al-Mamuri, head of a unit of the special police commandos in Hillah south of Bahgdad, and blew him up along with an aide, wounding 7 other officers. His Scorpion Brigade, a unit of 800 special forces men, fought both Sunni Arab radicals and Shiite militiamen in mixed Babil Province. He had resisted pressure to allow into his unit members of the Badr Corps, the paramilitary of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, which controls Babil politically.
14 construction workers kidnapped near their mainly Shiite village of Balad on Thursday showed up dead in an orchard near the mostly Sunni Arab town of Dhuluiyah on Friday morning.
Guerrillas in Saifiyah, south Baghdad, attacked women picking vegetables in a field, killing 6 adults and two girls, and kidnapping two teenaged girls.
Reuters surveys the major incidents.
Al-Sharq al-Awsat reports that nationalist Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr issued a statement threatening to wash his hands of any of his followers who "unjustifiably attack the Iraqi people."
Sunni Arab politician Adnan Dulaimi made fun of Muqtada, telling the newspaper, "Who is to decide," he asked, which attacks were justified.
Both Gen. Dannatt and Prime Minister Tony Blair attempted to calm the controversy that broke out when the general admitted that the Occupation forces were probably causing trouble just by being there. On Friday the general insisted he was not calling for an immediate pull-out. Blair appears to have decided to put the best face possible on the matter, with the comical result that he affirmed he believed in everything the general said.
posted by Juan Cole @ 10/14/2006 01:28:00 AM
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7 Comments:
Sadr threatened to publish the names of those in his Jaish al Mahdi who assault Iraqis. This is significant since these are mostly the leaders of splinter groups not under his influence.
However, security cannot depend on the whims of violent people. The state must be able to capture and punish them at will both to clear the streets of the scum and as a deterrence.
The current plan of "clear, hold, and build" is more Walt Disney that the real world. The people they want to clear have feet and means of transport to move to other areas to commit the crimes while the PR-based generals declare amazing successes. The out of work Iraqi managers and engineers should be doing the building, not some clueless soldiers from the other side of the world whose only skill is bragging.
Iraq suffered many coups between 1958 and 1968. The coup leaders allways managed to secure the country quickly by declaring martial law and positioning a tank in nearly every corner in the major city, for few days. The state TV and radio would broadcast endless letters of support for the new order from all and sundry, and police stations would be stuffed with weapons returned by militias who know they would face certain death otherwise.
This is how it should be done, not by trying to win the Iraqis, after all what has happened, with PR that has'nt worked.
Accept that there will be no future Iraq-USA pact, for God's sake.
The Hilla assassination is especially tragic in that it targeted a police force that is pursuing an anti-sectarian and anti-militia policy. There is an interesting earlier report on the chief of this force at the following link (sorry got error message, please cut & paste)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/02/opinion/02bull.html?ex=1304222400&en=70ca24fcd3eddfba&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Professor Cole, I just wanted to thank you for writing this blog. I read it every day and notice you are up early every day to post the latest information. It is an invaluable public service.
Someone must have put a lot of pressure on General Dannatt. When he came out to speak to the media, he actually sounded nervous - not exactly what you'd expect from the head of the armed forces in Britain. He's had a huge response from soldiers in Iraq who realize that he has their best interests at heart, unlike the politicos who treat them as toy soldiers in a great game of global domination.
From everything I've read, Colonel al-Mamuri was a real Iraqi patriot, attempting to counter both Sunni and Shiite terrorist groups. And relatively young--about 35.
Too bad. He might have been a real leader in a reconstituted Iraq.
If it ever gets to a stable state, which is now even more doubtful.
General Dannatt spoke the truth and Blair listened. Unremarkable except for one thing, it signals the end of Great Britain's participation in the
Global War for Oil. This must mean they figure the U.S. will lose, not win.
Methinks this is BIG with capital B that sounds like P and stands for War Crimes Tribunal.
Stan Goff over at alternet.org spills the beans about the racist agenda driving the Global Ear for Oil. It's called Fascism.
Professor Cole, I noticed that the Reuters link goes right now to to the Informed Comment site, but I would think maybe this (search-based timely link) Reuters search on Iraq gives a good idea about the current rash of grim incidents.
(Thanks for your enduring, serious analysis on the Middle East--keeping up with bombing after bombing and lie after lie must be exhausting and demoralizing at times!)
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