AP: Iraq PM Tells Shiite Militias to Give Up

[Eugene]

Associated Press
Iraq PM Tells Shiite Militias to Give Up
By STEVEN R. HURST 01.10.07, 5:44 PM ET

Iraq's prime minister has told Shiite militiamen to surrender their
arms or face an all-out assault by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces, senior
Iraqi officials said Wednesday, as American and Iraqi troops prepared
major military operations aimed at ending sectarian warfare in Baghdad.

The move came as President Bush said he will send an additional of
21,500 American combat troops to Iraq, according to excerpts of a
speech the president was set to deliver later Wednesday.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, head of Iraq's Shiite-led government,
previously had blocked several U.S. attempts to crack down on fighters
controlled by his most powerful political ally, Muqtada al-Sadr, a
radical Shiite cleric.

"Prime Minister al-Maliki has told everyone that there will be no escape
from attack," a senior Shiite legislator and close al-Maliki adviser said.
"The government has told the Sadrists: 'If we want to build a state we
have no other choice but to attack armed groups.'"

-snip-

Full article: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/01/10/ap3318990.html

[stillcool]

1. Jeez...you think this is meant...

for the American audience?

[TomInTib]

2. Well, that oughta do it...

Kinda like calling the Syrians and telling them to tell Hezbollah to "cut this shit out".

Who woulda thunk it was so easy?

Why didn't he do this a long time ago?

[peacebird]

4. exactly..... it would be laughable if it weren't so terribly sad.

So many more innocent lives will be lost in the slaughter.

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. "Just say no!"

[rodeodance]

5. umm.. good timing for him to get tough!!

[daleo]

6. "Give up, we've got you surrounded!" (while shouting from the Green Zone) n/t

[SOS]

7. Massive assault on Sadr City coming soon.

Two million Shiite residents.
This is going to be awful.

[SOS]

9. Soon...

Actually they already started:

Sadr City-Bombing
U.S. plane bomb parts of Baghdad’s Shiite Sadr City – witnesses
By Adel Fakher
Baghdad, Jan 11, (VOI) – U.S. warplanes on Thursday bombed parts of Baghdad’s Shiite-majority neighborhood of Sadr city, while joint Iraqi-U.S. forces raided some areas in the district, eyewitnesses said.
The planes hovered above the Sadr City until 3:00 a.m. and bombed some areas there, one of the witnesses told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
The witness did not say if there were arrests but reported heavy shootings during the aerial bombing.
The U.S. army in Iraq did not issue a statement on the reported raid.

[wellst0nev0ter]

8. He WANTS To Be Thrown From Office

Seriously, he does.

[PurityOfEssence]

10. Victorious armies rarely leave the field

Frederick the Great got lucky.