UK TimesOnline: Death squad chieftains flee to beat Baghdad surge

[sabra]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2569815,00.html

Death squad chieftains flee to beat Baghdad surge

DEATH SQUAD leaders have fled Baghdad to evade capture or killing by American and Iraqi forces before the start of the troop “surge” and security crackdown in the capital.
A former senior Iraqi minister said most of the leaders loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr, the radical anti-American cleric, had gone into hiding in Iran.

Among those said to have fled is Abu Deraa, the Shi’ite militia leader whose appetite for sectarian savagery has been compared to that of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, who was killed last year.

The former minister, who did not want to be named for security reasons, backed Sunni MPs’ claims that Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, had encouraged their flight. He alleged that weapons belonging to Sadr’s Mahdi Army had been hidden inside the Iraqi interior ministry to prevent confiscation.

Maliki said last week: “I know that senior criminals have left Baghdad, others have left the country. This is good — this shows that our message is being taken seriously.”

[keopeli]

1. Well, that explains a LOT. This is why Bush is threatening Iran recently.

Because of the dispersion of the faction leaders, the surge is likely to be more of a policing task. Violence will likely disperse to other parts of Iraq. It's like stomping on a hornet's nest without killing the queen bee (or bees, as the case may be). The bees don't go away - they disperse.

This is the path for the coming months in Iraq. If too much violence spreads across the country, rooting them out will take significantly more troops.

If the US pull out, the UN will go in led by Russia, Germany, France and possibly Britain.

I truly believe the violence in Iraq will only be quelled by a Multi-National force through the UN, similar to the work we did in Bosnia/Yugoslavia. I believe the next President will jump at the chance to diversify the forces - even if it were to be McCain, Giuliani or Romney. It would take a neocon like Gingrich to continue this madness.

Peace.

[Strelnikov_]

2. Trading space for time

Fall back, study the deployment, reengage at the time of their choosing.

[Matilda]

3. Exactly.

They'll just melt back into the population and bide their time.

[xchrom]

4. of course they did.

the whole point to their tactics is to survive to fight another day.

[rodeodance]

5. well good--if true. We can claim 'success' and get out.

[xchrom]

6. sounds good to me.