Takeover by militants in west Baghdad 'is thwarted'

[sabra]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2267001,00.html

Takeover by militants in west Baghdad 'is thwarted'

The Iraqi Prime Minister said today that Iraqi security forces had beaten off a concerted attempt by sectarian militias to take over western Baghdad.

Nouri al-Maliki told the Iraqi parliament that gun battles had raged in the streets of Baghdad west of the river Tigris for several days, and scores of civilians have been killed in the crossfire.

Mr al-Maliki said that his Government's national reconciliation plan was Iraq’s "last chance" to end the slide into sectarian civil war which was now the country's biggest threat.

"We all have the last chance to reconcile and agree among each others on avoiding conflict and blood," he said.

"If we fail, God forbid, I don’t know what the fate of Iraq will be."

[saigon68]

1. FREEDOM IS ON THE MARCH

[leftchick]

2. guess what mr. maliki?

you failed.

[grytpype]

3. I'm glad they thwarted that attempt, but...

... are they going to thwart them tomorrow too? And the day after?

How long is this going to go on?

[Massachusetts]

4. How long is this going to go on?

A longgggggg time! The region is JUST heating up, hasn't even boiled yet.

I love the smell of diplomacy in the morning..........

[annabanana]

5. headline is meaningless. . and the US likes it that way

from the article: (emphasis mine)

"US commanders have often been careful not to label gunmen as Shias, although many of the recent attacks in Baghdad neighbourhoods have been blamed by Sunnis and police on the al-Mahdi army militia controlled by Hojetoleslam Moqtada al-Sadr, a prominent Shia cleric with ties to Iran. Hojetoleslam al-Sadr and his followers deny the accusations."

In order to have any real idea of what is happening over there, language that has some relationship to reality must be used. The word "insurgent" is a deliberate obfuscation.

[Nevernose]

6. Well, thank God that Baghdad is safe again.

Can we bring the troops home now?

What's that?

You mean the takeover HASN'T been thwarted?

[daleo]

7. Maybe Bush could sneak back to the Green Zone

And stiffen some spines again. Yes, that is sarcasm.