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January 29, 2007
Iraq Watch
Topics: IraqFor a quick roundup of Iraq news, you can't beat Greg Hoadley's piece at IraqSlogger today:
The big East Coast dailies lead their Iraq coverage with the story of the big battle near Najaf in which 250 militants were killed. However, accounts still differ as to the identity of the combatants. It's clear that Iraqi ground forces and US aircraft were involved. The identity of the militant group is reported differently in different papers, and the USAT suggests that US ground forces may have participated in the battle. Several articles gear up for Senate debates this week, and the Times gets a scoop with a long-awaited interview with the Iranian ambassador to Iraq.And be sure to catch the NYT story on the 15-hour battle that raged between gunmen and Iraqi government forces near the village of Zarqaa, in the Najaf area, in what is described as "One of the deadliest battles in years." The "fighters," that were fought by Iraqi and American forces are thought to be nutcases who call themselves the "Soldiers of the Sky," who are driven by an apocalyptic vision of clearing the Earth of the depraved in preparation for the second coming of Muhammad al-Mahdi, a Shiite imam who disappeared in the 9th century. Not surprisingly, mortar shells bore markings indicating they were manufactured in Iran, which U.S. officials have accused of supporting Shiite militias.
For a view from the Left, BooMan Tibune writes of the Ashura battle:
"... either U.S. forces just helped kill 250 Sunni extremists or they just helped kill one faction of Shiites that were fighting the more mainstream factions. What's the truth of the matter? It's hard to say. But it does look like a small army gathered in an orchard near Karbala and were preparing to launch a sort of 'Karbala offensive' that might have been reminiscent of the 'Tet offensive' of the Vietnam War."While I agree with BooMan's comment that "U.S. forces just helped kill 250 Sunni extremists or they just helped kill one or more factions of Shiites that were fighting the more mainstream factions," and have no problem with our forces doing either or both, I disagree in the reach of relating what happened at Ashura to Tet in Vietnam. That is, unless the reference is a reminder that we can win the battles but lose the war because of public opinion. Indeed, "... a small army gathered in an orchard near Karbala and were preparing to launch a sort of 'Karbala offensive'," but the difference in magnitude and military/political objectives appear to trump any basis for comparison.
However, BooMan's use of the Tet offensive analogy appears that it could be as much of a literary device as it does a political point, and one that makes his post all the more interesting, and gives the Assura battle an historical perspective that I appreciate. No strong disagreement with either on my part though, just wanted to beg to differ a bit on the Tet matter.
Posted by Richard at January 29, 2007 07:14 AM
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» What Happened in Najaf Over the Weekend? from The Political Pit Bull
As you might have already heard, a fierce battle took place yesterday between Iraqi soldiers backed by US helicopters and a group of insurgents just outside of the Shiite holy city of Najaf. In all, the battle claimed the lives... [Read More]
Tracked on January 29, 2007 12:55 PM
