Al Sadr Fled Iraq, Fearing U.S. Bombs

[Cold Dirt]

Feb. 13, 2007 — The story tonight in Iraq is not the arrival of more U.S. troops, but the departure of one of the country's most powerful men, Moqtada al Sadr and members of his army.

According to senior military officials al Sadr left Baghdad two to three weeks ago, and fled to Tehran, Iran, where he has family.

Al Sadr commands the Mahdi Army, one of the most formidable insurgent militias in Iraq, and his move coincides with the announced U.S. troop surge in Baghdad.

Sources believe al Sadr is worried about an increase of 20,000 U.S. troops in the Iraqi capital. One official told ABC News' Martha Raddatz, "He is scared he will get a JDAM [bomb] dropped on his house."

Sources say some of the Mahdi army leadership went with al Sadr.


Though he is gone for now, many think al Sadr is not gone for good. In Tehran he is trying to keep the Madhi militia together.

ABC News: Al Sadr Fled Iraq, Fearing U.S. Bombs

Nope, no way, no how you dems have claimed that Iran wasn't involved in Iraq.........how easy it is to show how clueless you guys really are........

if Iran wasn't involved, you think they would not allow a known terrorist into their country because it would be easy for America to claim aid and comfort of an known terrorist enemy combatant.......now Iran wouldn't want that now would they?

once again the libs eat crow and think its gourmet roasted chicken.......

 

[Navy Pride]

Great news............Sounds like the first results of the President's surge is working........

 

[Binary_Digit]

Great news............

Great news? The bastard got away. We haven't heard the last of al Sadr until he's captured or dead.

Sounds like the first results of the President's surge is working........

It's working in the short-term, and why wouldn't it? Everyone knew weeks ahead of time that Baghdad and the Ansar province weren't going to be safe for insurgents, so of course they fled from their strongholds in those areas like cockroaches when the light comes on. Let's see if the President's surge will have any long-term positives, like keeping them out of the equation altogether.

Bush needs to make a case to the world community, and try to get international pressure on Iran to cough him up.

 

[thenextbesthang]

bush has no standing in the international community. The Russia doesn't want IRan pressured beyond belief, nor does China. The EU really is irrellevant; they never drastically oppose Washington.

The arab world of course opposes Bush.
Let me ask you this:

Do you believe that the union and liberty are inseperable, that is, we need to have a federal government strong to have the things we hold dear

or

Do you believe that the federal government is only as good as the ideals it upholds, and should be cut down when it doesn't uphold them?

 

[RightinNYC]

It's working in the short-term, and why wouldn't it?

Working in the short term is absolutely essential in order to give the Iraqis the time and the breathing room for their army, police, and government the ability to assert themselves and maintain a semblance of order. It's much much easier for an opposition group to continue causing chaos and stifle progress in an already destabilized situation than it is for them to come into a settled or semi-settled situation and resume their activities.

Whether the surge will get enough of them out, whether the Iraqis will assert themselves soon/strong enough, and whether the insurgents will be able to come back/defeat them is yet to be seen, but here's hoping.

 

[jujuman13]

quote
(Do you believe that the union and liberty are inseperable, that is, we need to have a federal government strong to have the things we hold dear

or

Do you believe that the federal government is only as good as the ideals it upholds, and should be cut down when it doesn't uphold them?)

Still trying to work out how either of these statements bears any relationship to this particular thread.

Al Sadr is nothing but a murderous person intent only on establishing himself as the leader within Iraq.
He has consistently shown absolute disregard for those of his own sect as well as those of other sects.
His only motive is aquisition of power.
The fact that he has now departed Iraq, reveals to the Iraqi population precisely the coward he actually is.
The sooner he is permanently removed from Iraqi politics the better for Iraq.

I have held the opinion that the so called 'surge' should go ahead albeit only for as long as the Iraq Government fully support the US aim of stabilizing Iraq.

 

[BrewBreaker12]

The insurgency will never end in Iraq. Sure it will eventually lesson, but it will never completely cease to exist because it is impossible to kill enough people to kill an idea.

 

[KidRocks]

Everyone and their mama knew that that would happen, for Christ's sake it was printed in the main stream media weeks ago. The article predicted that many of the insurgents would flee, lay low and just blend into the population and wait out their time... sheesh! :roll:

 

[RightinNYC]

The insurgency will never end in Iraq. Sure it will eventually lesson, but it will never completely cease to exist because it is impossible to kill enough people to kill an idea.

And obviously there's absolutely no way that people could be taught to get past that idea, right?

Seems you have a rather diminished view of the potential of the Iraqi people.

 

[Morrow]

Great logic, just the type of brilliant deductive reasoning I’ve come to expect from you.

Sadr, an insurgent leader, left Iraq for Iran.
Therefore Iran is involved in the Insurgency.

I think Bush took a trip to Germany a few months ago; maybe they are involved in the Iraq war?

And, lets not forget than somehow this involves the political philosophy of liberalism and the party of the Democrats. Have to work that one in there edgeways.

Hey, General Pace said he is unsure of the Iranian link today, do you think he’s one of them libs?

 

[Hatuey]

And obviously there's absolutely no way that people could be taught to get past that idea, right?

Seems you have a rather diminished view of the potential of the Iraqi people.

The current state Iraq is in proves there isn't much potential to be found in a group of people who's last major achievement were the gardens of babylon.

 

[RightinNYC]

The current state Iraq is in proves there isn't much potential to be found in a group of people who's last major achievement were the gardens of babylon.

Well thats a ridiculously short-sighted and simplistic view if I ever heard one.

Quick question - you do know that even in the US, where there was no history of sectarian violence, religion did not dominate politics, independence sprouted domestically, and there was no such thing as suicide bombings, it took us several years after the formation of OUR republic before things got settled, right? You know that there were many rebellions, uprisings, and even a complete scrapping of the Articles of Confederation, right?

 

[Hatuey]

Well thats a ridiculously short-sighted and simplistic view if I ever heard one.

Quick question - you do know that even in the US, where there was no history of sectarian violence, religion did not dominate politics, independence sprouted domestically, and there was no such thing as suicide bombings, it took us several years after the formation of OUR republic before things got settled, right? You know that there were many rebellions, uprisings, and even a complete scrapping of the Articles of Confederation, right?

Big difference between the U.S. and Iraq is we freed ourselves and kept it that way without imploding or exploding. The U.S. wanted freedom. It wanted democracy. It worked towards becoming a country without imploding or exploding. These people were freed from a dictator and were given a possibility no other country in the history of the world has ever gotten and somehow have managed to end up on the verge of self destruction.

 

[RightinNYC]

Big difference between the U.S. and Iraq is we freed ourselves and kept it that way without imploding or exploding. The U.S. wanted freedom. It wanted democracy. It worked towards becoming a country without imploding or exploding. These people were freed from a dictator and were given a possibility no other country in the history of the world has ever gotten and somehow have managed to end up on the verge of self destruction.

The point remains that for years, even decades after we declared our independence, people from foreign nations assumed that as a result of our inner turmoil we were a weak nation that had no future and would surely collapse. They, like you, spoke too soon.

 

[LaMidRighter]

The current state Iraq is in proves there isn't much potential to be found in a group of people who's last major achievement were the gardens of babylon.

America is still fighting political battles started during the articles of confederation as well however. Some of these involve the scope of government and just how much power to give itself (which fluxuates constantly throughout election cycles). What exactly is an individuals rights and where they end (the SCOTUS has had alot to do with this particular controversy), how far states rights go before federal powers kick in and what states can and cannot regulate, etc.
Before I lose focus, if we, after over 200 years are still waging these wars of words, and yes, in the early days there was plenty of violence what makes us think that the Iraqis are any less capable of change (noting on my part, of course, that this is a large degree of internal violence within our lifetimes).

 

[PeteEU]

Any proof presented?

Smells like another propoganda attempt by the Bush administration, if not some proof of their claim is given.

 

[Cold Dirt]

Any proof presented?

Smells like another propoganda attempt by the Bush administration, if not some proof of their claim is given.

Typical......Michael Moore puts out a movie and you lick his boots believing his 59 lies.......a link between Iraq and Iran is shown and you dont believe it because it goes against your liberal mindset that Iran is taking part in this war.........

 

[Cold Dirt]

Oh I forgot this.......
My Way News - Iraq to Close Borders With Iran, Syria

 

[PeteEU]

Typical......Michael Moore puts out a movie and you lick his boots believing his 59 lies.......a link between Iraq and Iran is shown and you dont believe it because it goes against your liberal mindset that Iran is taking part in this war.........

Who said I belived Michael Moore's movie? But what is typical is the right believing anything coming from someone connected with Bush. Its an annoyoumus US goverment spokesman for frack sake!

 

[Cold Dirt]

Who said I belived Michael Moore's movie? But what is typical is the right believing anything coming from someone connected with Bush. Its an annoyoumus US goverment spokesman for frack sake!

The Iraqi commander of the Baghdad security crackdown announced Tuesday that Iraq will close its borders with Syria and Iran as word emerged that anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr had fled the country ahead of the drive to pacify the capital.

as you were saying? special on crow burgers here today.....you libs are lining up to eat them up......

 

[PeteEU]

So Cold Dirt, where is the evidence that he is in Iran? His own people says he aint, and yet you belive an anon source from the White House?

Other than the anon source, what other independant sources do you have? Even the quotes you provide say nothing.

And if he is in Iran, then so what? He has family there, and by all reports his wife lives there. What evidence have you ready from other than the "anon" source from the White House, that not only he is in Iran, but that he "fled" there because of the security crackdown in Bagdad, where he btw, does not even LIVE!

 

[Cold Dirt]

So Cold Dirt, where is the evidence that he is in Iran? His own people says he aint, and yet you belive an anon source from the White House?

Other than the anon source, what other independant sources do you have? Even the quotes you provide say nothing.

And if he is in Iran, then so what? He has family there, and by all reports his wife lives there. What evidence have you ready from other than the "anon" source from the White House, that not only he is in Iran, but that he "fled" there because of the security crackdown in Bagdad, where he btw, does not even LIVE!

as usual....liberals siding with the terrorist.......

 

[G-Man]

ABC News: Al Sadr Fled Iraq, Fearing U.S. Bombs

Nope, no way, no how you dems have claimed that Iran wasn't involved in Iraq.........how easy it is to show how clueless you guys really are........

if Iran wasn't involved, you think they would not allow a known terrorist into their country because it would be easy for America to claim aid and comfort of an known terrorist enemy combatant.......now Iran wouldn't want that now would they?

once again the libs eat crow and think its gourmet roasted chicken.......

I don't get this one....if the US and Iraqi govt believes Al Sadr is a terrorist then why didn't they arrest him at some point over the last 3/4 years?
Its not as though he was in hiding...he held regular sermons every week in his mosques and his whereabouts were widely known.

More mindless Bush propoganda IMO.

And interestingly no confirmation as yet he's even in Iran...

 

[Hatuey]

as usual....liberals siding with the terrorist.......

LOL You're funny. There are obviously 2 contradicting sources here. One says he's in Iran the other that he's hiding in Iraq. Neither have too much credibility to their name so if I were you I'd wait for word from Sadr himself.