All opinions posted. None too pathetic or contrived. Everyone gets their say.

"...even the wicked get worse than they deserve." - Willa Cather, One of Ours

Saturday, May 22, 2004

Al-Mahdi Militia Agrees to Cease-fire in Karbala

Command Post (war news)
Coalition troops and the militia of Moqtada al-Sadr withdrew from the centre of the holy city of Karbala on Saturday, more than a month after the radical Shiite cleric launched an uprising in Iraq, AFP reported.

Ali al-Kazali, a high ranking member of Sadr’s Mehdi Army militia, told AFP: “We have decided to remove all the (Mehdi) army presence from the centre of the city as we are waiting for the agreement with the other side to be finalised this afternoon.”

[...]

A US patrol of Bradley fighting vehicles, one M113 armoured personnel carrier and infantry conducted a three-hour patrol around the outskirts of Karbala’s Old City district before dawn today. An Associated Press reporter who accompanied them reported no shooting.

The soldiers sat cramped inside the Bradley vehicles, night vision goggles strapped to their helmets and weapons at the ready. Then they returned to their base on the outskirts of town.
Good God! Rationality from the Al-Mahdi. Who would have thought it possible!

In any case, a win is a win. It was essential to the Al-Mahdi that they retain control of the holy sites. So in Karbala at least, they have been defeated.

This was due to a mixture of diplomacy and serious ass-kicking. What amazes me is that the Al-Mahdi commander had enough good sense recognize when he was losing.

Will wonders never cease.
Posted by: Zayphar / 5/22/2004 10:13:00 AM
Comments: Post a Comment

<< Home