The big talk last week was the al-Sadr had fled the country and was not an influence anymore. Of course people like CNN’s Michael Ware said that is far from the truth. Well once again it looks like the military was wrong and the others were right:
The leader of Iraq’s biggest Shiite militia complained Sunday that bombs “continue to explode” in Baghdad and that U.S.-led security crackdown is doomed to fail, issuing a statement the same day a suicide attacker struck outside a college campus, killing at least 41 people.
Many Shiites believe that bombings have continued because the Shiite-led government bowed to American pressure and persuaded the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to take his Mahdi Army fighters off the streets.
Al-Sadr’s statement, read to his followers in Sadr City, is likely to add pressure on U.S. and Iraqi forces to show results in the nearly two-week-old crackdown.
“I’m certain, just like all oppressed Iraqis are certain, that no security plan will work and no good will come of any occupier,” al-Sadr said in the statement. “Here we are, watching booby trapped cars exploding to harvest thousands of innocent lives from our beloved people in the middle of a security plan that is controlled by an occupier who does as he pleases.”
Of course the article goes on to say that we still believe he is in Iran, but how trustworthy is that? We are relying upon the same people that said Saddam had weapons of mass destruction after all.
I have to agree with another analysis I heard this past week. Usually when we change tactics in Iraq, the violence does stop for a few days. This is most likely so that the insurgents can figure out what we are doing and re-plan. We have seen that this past week with the emergence of the new chemical bombs that are being used. This also proves that the insurgency is much better structured than anyone is letting on to. There is an apparent chain of command that is being adhered to.