Iraq, US forces capture more than 600 Sadr fighters

[maddezmom]

BAGHDAD (AFP) - More than 600 fighters loyal to radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and 16 of their leaders have been captured by security forces in a crackdown on the cleric's militia, the US military said.

"There are currently over 600 illegal Jaish al-Mahdi (JAM) militia in detention awaiting prosecution from the government of Iraq," a military statement said.

It said Iraqi and US forces had also detained "16 high-level JAM militiamen and killed one JAM commander" in a series of operations.

The military added that five of the high-level individuals detained are from Sadr City, Baghdad's impoverished Shiite bastion loyal to Sadr.

Combined Iraqi and US forces have carried out 52 operations in the past 45 days focused on the JAM, or Mahdi Army, and 42 operations targeting Sunni extremists, the statement said.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070123/wl_afp/iraqshiitesadrarrest_070123074557

the headline should probably read captured another 200 as it's already been reported they had 400 in custody

[brettdale]

1. Just in time for SOTU Speech

I wonder if this will get a mention.

[fooj]

2. 52 operations in the past 45 days...

Didn't he just announce this last week? F*cking liar.

[TomInTib]

6. If so, they/we averaged 13.3 captured 'fighters' per day..

even less per proclaimed op.

"Can't anyone here play this game?" (C Stengel)

[maddezmom]

7. they announced 400 last week

so that would mean atleast to me 200 the last week or so. The headline is misleading as we don't know if all 600 rounded up are even in Sadr's army.

[leftofthedial]

3. this weekend they'll be furloughed

so they can "train" with their buds in the "police"

[TomInTib]

4. 600 'fighters' in 45 days?

That's about 14 'fighters' per day.

And just who are those 'fighters', anyway?

[Eugene]

5. Hooray! 600 down just another 59,400 to go.

:bounce: The surge is progressing wonderfully!

:sarcasm:

[sofa king]

8. Criswell predicts: 600 bodies to turn up in Baghdad

One American-ignored truckload at a time.

[Disturbed]

9. Arresting al Sadr's Army members may backfire on the US

Forces. Al Sadr may unleash the 60,000 on US Troops if this continues.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

10. This all could have been so much cheaper if there was a board

game called, Iraq, the Sequel that shrub coulda played with. The WMD would of course have to be supplied separately.

[llmart]

11. Expect to see these kind of articles.....

on a daily basis now. It's called propaganda. Those of us old enough remember it from the VietNam days. It's the sort of "hey, look over here boys and girls - don't pay any attention to our dead and dismembered soldiers - lookey what we did to the bad guys" propaganda that reeks of desperation by a country that is getting their asses handed to them by the "insurgents". The gold ole' U S of A couldn't possibly be losing this war now could they?

[Earth_First]

12. I notice how "Iraqi forces" suddenly comes before "U.S. forces"

It's well known by a simple google search that for some time 'Iraqi troops' has nine times out of ten followed 'U.S. troops' in most headline reporting out of Iraq.

As part of the escalation effort, one of the 'essential' goals of this plan is to increase the maximum number of Iraqi military forces securing their own day to day security operations.

In comes the media, lock stock and two smoking barrels, right on cue, to prop up the headlines by swapping the two in a clear attempt to direct the reader's attention. It plays to the weakness of the citizen who cannot be bothered with major details, and generally reads print media in the way that they've been spoonfed audio and television reporting, in extremely small portions, remembering what he or she reads first, with the rest becoming minor details.

This is very precise and very deliberate.

It's a shame that it's become so obvious that this is what is happening in media reporting.

[rodeodance]

16. yes. lots of credit being given to Iraqi forces. Wonder what is really true

at this point

[htuttle]

13. And yet -- al-Sadr has stood mute through all this lately?

His silence leads me to believe that he's either using us to clean his own house for him, or this is just shadow puppetry of a sort.

[maddezmom]

14. he gave an interview to LeRupublicca

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/maddezmom/106

and here's one version translated:
http://darkmirror.blogspot.com/2007/01/interview-with-moqtada-al-sadr-by.html

[bahrbearian]

19. Thanks for Link ,, Good reading

[rodeodance]

15. 'some to toss to Milaki"---for show--was what a Cnn reporter from Iraq

said last night.

Susposdedly he has some he can not control, so he 'tossed' them to the gov.
Makes it look good for both.

[leftyladyfrommo]

17. And I've got a bridge in Arizona you can buy.

This is such a crock.

Even if they do round people up they will be letting them go out the back door.

[Mudoria]

18. Excellent news..

a few more death squad folks off the street. Hopefully many more of these thugs will be rounded up along with their sad excuse for a leader.

[Massachusetts]

20. Excellent news if its true

Bu$hco has a bad habit of embellishing.

[Tempest]

21. Of embellishing and calling civilians insurgents

I'm betting most of them will be released after it's found they have nothing to do with the militia group.

[NickB79]

22. They won't be off the streets for long

The Iraqi government is heavily populated by supportive Shiite politicians who will pull a few strings and get a lot of these guys released back onto the streets to fight again.