Supporters of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr demonstrate in Iraq while the country's future hangs in the balance.Constitutional talks have failed to a first time and now the possibility of civil war is very palpable.
This from Telegraph News in the UK:
The impression of growing crisis in Iraq was reinforced when a new front erupted in the violent rebellion, with Shia Muslims fighting each other with guns and rocket-propelled grenades.
As the two-day death toll around Iraq reached 100, fighting between two powerful Shiite militias in the southern city of Najaf subsided, with 19 reported dead overall. The clashes Wednesday night and Thursday between the Mahdi Army, loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr, and fighters allegedly linked to the government-allied Badr Organization were the deadliest between Iraqi militia forces since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003.
Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the prime minister, made an emergency television appeal for peace and sent two police commando units to Najaf where the fighting had started.
Throughout the day in Baghdad, politicians bickered over how to proceed with the constitution without driving the country to civil war.
As night fell, the government's official spokesman, Laith Kubba, announced that a final version of the document had been decided and compromise reached on three issues, although he did not say which. Sunni leaders said that no consensus had been reached.
GOI: Shi'ite in-fighting is a troubling development in an ever unfolding situation. Some Sadr supporters are threatening to side with Sunni's who oppose federalism in the constitution. This is starting to develop into a very complicated process. I hope that the country can survive these growing pains with a true democracy developing. It looks like, however, that even best case scenarios show an Islamic Republic with a twist of Democracy.
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2 comments:
Well, this is what happens when we invade on a whim and false pretences. This is also what happens when everything is rushed, including the invasion. This is also what happens when the president denies reality and takes a 5 week vacation; his third of the year. This is also what happens when a president takes a hands-off approach, then keeps asking for more and more sacrifice. This is also what happens when the president still insists that this war was brought about to us because of 9/11.
Bush sure has us in a mess. But who's paying attention?
Yeah, I just heard on the news that only 20% of Americans strongly support the Iraq war.
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