Heavy bombardment on Sadr city despite ceasefire
General Joe | 11.05.2008 17:02 | Analysis | Anti-militarism | Iraq | World
"Imperial USA never tells the truth. Just ask a native American what the white men said and what did they do? They never tell the truth. A lie is always appropriate if it will further their selfish, greedy ends. They knew no shame then. They know none now. Only a complete fool would believe otherwise."
Heavy bombardment on Sadr city despite ceasefire
Heavy bombardment on Sadr city despite ceasefire
Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Saturday , 10 /05 /2008 Time 9:44:56
"Imperial USA never tells the truth. Just ask a native American what the white men said and what did they do? They never tell the truth. A lie is always appropriate if it will further their selfish, greedy ends. They knew no shame then. They know none now. Only a complete fool would believe otherwise."
Baghdad, May 10, (VOI) – Three large parts of Sadr city were subjected to heavy bombardment that was continuously carried out by U.S. helicopters, starting from Saturday 3:30 p.m. until now, despite the Iraqi government and representatives of the Sadr movement having signed an agreement to stop confrontations in the city.
Reporter of Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI) said that airstrike operations covered the areas of Jameela, al-Gayiara, and al-Dakhil, but he could not contact medical sources to learn whether there were any casualties among Sadr city's residents.
Earlier on Saturday, the Sadr bloc's official spokesperson said that the bloc brokered a deal with the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to stop fighting in the troubled eastern Baghdad district of Sadr City, and end the crisis between the two sides.
"A 14-point agreement was reached with a delegation from the ruling Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC) to end the crisis in Sadr City," Sheikh Salah al-Ubaydi told VOI.
Ubaydi said the agreement, effective as of Sunday, provided that all the items included would be implemented in four days' time, noting it calls for a "ceasefire, ending all armed activities and opening of all outlets leading to Sadr City."
An official spokesman for the government confirmed the agreement reached with the Sadrists on Friday evening with the objective of "sustaining the stability and security in Sadr City."
"There are talks between a UIC delegation and the brothers from the Sadrist bloc, and a 14-point agreement was reached," Ali al-Dabbagh told VOI on Saturday.
"The agreement included the clearing of Sadr City of all explosive charges and mines, the closure of all illegal courthouses, ending all armed activities and acknowledging that the Iraqi government is the sole party that runs security issues and decides sending any forces to any area to impose order and security," Dabbagh noted.
Zaynab al-Kanani, a member of parliament from the Sadrist bloc, had said on Friday that several Sadrist delegations under Sheikh Ubaydi have met with members from the UIC and other parliamentary blocs during the past couple of days to reach a solution to the crisis between the government and the Sadrists.
She said the outcome of the meetings was good but there are still some pivotal issues pending consultations and might take some time to reach an agreement over.
"One of these issues is the handover of more than 40 gunmen against whom arrest warrants were issued," Kanani said.
Ubaydi, however, said the agreement provides for "the right of the Iraqi security forces to conduct raids in search of wanted people in accordance with controls and citizenship rights."
"The (government) delegation pledged the commitment of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to this agreement," Ubaydi said.
The Sadrists' spokesman did not refer to the future of the Mahdi Army, the military wing of the Sadrist bloc.
The Sadrists' relations with the government have been marred by tension during the last week of March when Iraqi security forces, backed by U.S. troops, launched a military campaign codenamed Saulat al-Forsan (Knights' Assault) in the southern Iraq port city of Basra with the aim of tracking down what Maliki called "outlaws" and imposing the state power.
The campaign involved clashes between the government forces and gunmen believed to be members of Sadr's Mahdi Army militias. The clashes extended to Baghdad and other provinces but stopped after a call by Sadr to end all armed activities on the streets.
The clashes, however, renewed on nearly a daily basis in Sadr City, where U.S. warplanes intervened. The tension increased when Maliki called for disbanding the Mahdi Army or else the Sadrists would be denied participation in the provincial council elections, scheduled for later this year, but cleric Sadr refused.
The Sadrists have 30 out of a total 275 seats in the Iraqi parliament, which they entered as part of the UIC that comprises Shiite parties including Maliki's Dawa, and Shiite leader Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim's Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC).
The UIC is the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament with 83 seats.
The Sadrists had quit the Maliki government, where they occupied six ministerial portfolios, in April 2007 due to the government's rejection of their demand to "have a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq."
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Spread this news of Imperial trickery. What did they tell the native Americans?
Heavy bombardment on Sadr city despite ceasefire
Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Saturday , 10 /05 /2008 Time 9:44:56
"Imperial USA never tells the truth. Just ask a native American what the white men said and what did they do? They never tell the truth. A lie is always appropriate if it will further their selfish, greedy ends. They knew no shame then. They know none now. Only a complete fool would believe otherwise."
Baghdad, May 10, (VOI) – Three large parts of Sadr city were subjected to heavy bombardment that was continuously carried out by U.S. helicopters, starting from Saturday 3:30 p.m. until now, despite the Iraqi government and representatives of the Sadr movement having signed an agreement to stop confrontations in the city.
Reporter of Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI) said that airstrike operations covered the areas of Jameela, al-Gayiara, and al-Dakhil, but he could not contact medical sources to learn whether there were any casualties among Sadr city's residents.
Earlier on Saturday, the Sadr bloc's official spokesperson said that the bloc brokered a deal with the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to stop fighting in the troubled eastern Baghdad district of Sadr City, and end the crisis between the two sides.
"A 14-point agreement was reached with a delegation from the ruling Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC) to end the crisis in Sadr City," Sheikh Salah al-Ubaydi told VOI.
Ubaydi said the agreement, effective as of Sunday, provided that all the items included would be implemented in four days' time, noting it calls for a "ceasefire, ending all armed activities and opening of all outlets leading to Sadr City."
An official spokesman for the government confirmed the agreement reached with the Sadrists on Friday evening with the objective of "sustaining the stability and security in Sadr City."
"There are talks between a UIC delegation and the brothers from the Sadrist bloc, and a 14-point agreement was reached," Ali al-Dabbagh told VOI on Saturday.
"The agreement included the clearing of Sadr City of all explosive charges and mines, the closure of all illegal courthouses, ending all armed activities and acknowledging that the Iraqi government is the sole party that runs security issues and decides sending any forces to any area to impose order and security," Dabbagh noted.
Zaynab al-Kanani, a member of parliament from the Sadrist bloc, had said on Friday that several Sadrist delegations under Sheikh Ubaydi have met with members from the UIC and other parliamentary blocs during the past couple of days to reach a solution to the crisis between the government and the Sadrists.
She said the outcome of the meetings was good but there are still some pivotal issues pending consultations and might take some time to reach an agreement over.
"One of these issues is the handover of more than 40 gunmen against whom arrest warrants were issued," Kanani said.
Ubaydi, however, said the agreement provides for "the right of the Iraqi security forces to conduct raids in search of wanted people in accordance with controls and citizenship rights."
"The (government) delegation pledged the commitment of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to this agreement," Ubaydi said.
The Sadrists' spokesman did not refer to the future of the Mahdi Army, the military wing of the Sadrist bloc.
The Sadrists' relations with the government have been marred by tension during the last week of March when Iraqi security forces, backed by U.S. troops, launched a military campaign codenamed Saulat al-Forsan (Knights' Assault) in the southern Iraq port city of Basra with the aim of tracking down what Maliki called "outlaws" and imposing the state power.
The campaign involved clashes between the government forces and gunmen believed to be members of Sadr's Mahdi Army militias. The clashes extended to Baghdad and other provinces but stopped after a call by Sadr to end all armed activities on the streets.
The clashes, however, renewed on nearly a daily basis in Sadr City, where U.S. warplanes intervened. The tension increased when Maliki called for disbanding the Mahdi Army or else the Sadrists would be denied participation in the provincial council elections, scheduled for later this year, but cleric Sadr refused.
The Sadrists have 30 out of a total 275 seats in the Iraqi parliament, which they entered as part of the UIC that comprises Shiite parties including Maliki's Dawa, and Shiite leader Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim's Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC).
The UIC is the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament with 83 seats.
The Sadrists had quit the Maliki government, where they occupied six ministerial portfolios, in April 2007 due to the government's rejection of their demand to "have a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq."
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Spread this news of Imperial trickery. What did they tell the native Americans?
General Joe