In the complex swirl of Iraqi power politics, both sides have links to the Iranian regime.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/stalled-assault-on-basra-exposes-the-iraqi-governments-shaky-authority-801776.html Stalled assault on Basra exposes the Iraqi government's shaky authority
By Patrick Cockburn
Friday, 28 March 2008
The Iraqi army's offensive against the Shia militia of the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Basra is failing to make significant headway despite a pledge by the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to fight "to the end".
Instead of being a show of strength, the government's stalled assault is demonstrating its shaky authority over much of Baghdad and southern Iraq. As the situation spins out of Mr Maliki's control, saboteurs blew up one of the two main oil export pipelines near Basra, cutting by a third crude exports from the oilfields around the city. The international price of oil jumped immediately by $1 a barrel before falling back.
In Baghdad, tens of thousands of supporters of Mr Sadr, whose base of support is the Shia poor, marched through the streets shouting slogans demanding that Mr Maliki's government be overthrown. "We demand the downfall of the Maliki government," said one of the marchers, Hussein Abu Ali. "It does not represent the people. It represents Bush and Cheney."
The main bastion of the Sadrist movement is impoverished Sadr City, which has a population of two million and is almost a twin city to Baghdad. The densely packed slum has been sealed off by US troops. "We are trapped in our homes with no water or electricity since yesterday," said a resident called Mohammed. "We can't bathe our children or wash our clothes."
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080327/iraq_green_080328/20080328?hub=CTVNewsAt11U.S. missile strike kills four in Baghdad
Updated Fri. Mar. 28 2008 2:03 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
A missile strike by a U.S. helicopter in Baghdad's Sadr City killed four people Friday, marking a sharp escalation in the battle against a powerful Shiite militia.
Until the strike, only Iraqi security forces had been involved in a recent campaign in the neighbourhood targeting the Mahdi Army militia -- who are loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
The U.S. has touted the offensive as a test of Iraq's ability to handle its own security operations.
But ground forces called for the strike after receiving small-arms fire while they were trying to clear a main supply route, U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Steve Stover said.
Iraqi children inspect a government forces vehicle destroyed in fighting with the Mahdi Army in Basra, Iraq, Friday, March 28, 2008. (AP / Nabil al-Jurani)
A boy injured in clashes between the Mahdi Army and U.S. forces sits in a hospital in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, March 27, 2008. (AP / Karim Kadim)
A boy is seen walking down a street in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, March 28, 2008. (AP / Karim Kadim)