NBC Iraq Blog: entire villages being ethnically cleansed

[sabra]

http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/01/17/32969.aspx

<snip>

Sectarian violence growing worse

I increasingly hear about entire villages being ethnically cleansed. Two weeks ago, we traveled to Saba al-Bor, a village north of Baghdad where Shiite militias have driven out nearly all of the Sunnis. The Sunnis are now on the outskirts of the town, lobbing in mortars, trying to drive out the Shiites. It’s a nine there too.

But our reporter today told me about a new strategy in the civil war used in a village called Hweidar near Baquoba.

Hweidar is a small Shiite village surrounded by Sunni towns.

"Do you know what the Sunnis are doing?" the reporter asked me.

"They are firing in mortars?" I suggested.

"That too… but what else?"

"Just tell me."

"They are cutting it off. They have cut the power lines and are even stopping food from entering. Now, the only way in for supplies is by bellum," he said.

A bellum is a traditional Iraqi riverboat used by fishermen and farmers. British forces used these round, flat-bottomed rafts during WWI to transport supplies during their march north to Baghdad.

[tanyev]

1. Send Michelle Malkin to Hweidar.

See if she can find any good news there.

[sabra]

2. her report is all about supporting the troops and "cut and run"

otherwise doesn't seem like she could find any "good news"

[necso]

3. "But as our stringer reminded me today,

Baghdad is only part of much wider problem."

Baghdad just happens to be where the "central government" is -- and the biggest single instance of Sunni and Shia living in proximity. So it has the most visibility (even from the Green-Zone), and the anarchy there makes the Iraqi "government" (and us) look really bad -- in a very apparent and obvious way.

But even should we be able to "secure" Baghdad, the fighting elsewhere may (will likely, imo) just get worse.

...

On another note, I'm generally in favor of downplaying the risks of regional fighting (wider sectarian fighting, etc) breaking-out because of the mess in Iraq. (Such talk can arouse passions and fears, which feelings always need to be held in-check -- not aroused or fed.) However, regional diplomacy (without the US, which only (sometimes deliberately) screws up any real attempt at actual diplomacy) clearly needs to be engaged in, so that in the heat of future moments, certain mistakes aren't made; mistakes that can't be easily undone.

On a related note, if some agreement could be reached between Syria and Israel regarding the Golan Heights, this would be very helpful and timely.