Report on the recent fighting in southern Iraq

Today, Italian occupation forces clashed with Iraqis in al-Nasiriyyah, leaving 15 Iraqis dead and 12 invaders wounded. British occupyers in Amara have fought Iraqis for 2 days, leaving 39 Iraqi dead or wounded after the invaders panicked and fired on anybody nearby, and losing several of their armoured vehicles to heavy fire. In Madinat al-Sadr & other neighborhoods of Baghdad, there are 39 Iraqi martyrs and 126 others wounded in heavy fighting between Iraqis and US invaders that has killed at least 3 US occupation forces in seperate attacks in the Kazimiyah neighborhood of Baghdad (this according to the military authorities; credible independent confirmation of their losses is unavailable as yet). In Najaf, explosions have been reported targetting the positions of the Spanish occupation forces; no word of casualties in fighting for either side there. From Kufa, people have begun to broadcast material in support of the uprising as Sayyid Muqtada voices pride in his "outlaw" status in the eyes of the occupyers. Other fighting against various foreign mercenaries on occupation duty have been reported in Karbala and Kut.

Iraqi losses in al-Fallujah are unknown at this time, though the invaders are said to had 4 deaths so far. After "sealing off" the city yesterday, it is known that the invaders suffered casualties in heavy fighting early on, and they responded by bombing the neighborhood from the air; 7 Iraqi dead are reported in 10 civilian houses destroyed. The Marines have decided against being open about their losses and instead try to hide knowledge of them. People in al-Fallujah have been cut off from the outside world, with no access even to their hospital. US occupation forces in Ramadi & Baquba have come under fire, though that is a more typical situation.

Crossing "party" lines, many in Iraq from all backgrounds are supporting the uprising by Sadr's forces, as well as many others in Iraq and the region. Groups of Iraqis in Sunni neighborhoods of Baghdad known for their past rivalry with Shiite communities have been seen coming to the aide of the Jaysh al-Mahdi in their fight against occupation forces. Movements based in al-Fallujah, currently under brutal siege by the invaders, have voiced their support. In the region, Lebanon's highest Shia religious authority condemns the "horrible massascres" carried out by the invaders; on the side, Ayatallah al-Uzma Sayyid Mohammed Husayn Fadlallah has a personal history with American aggressors, the CIA having tried to murder him in the past and instead carrying out a horrible massacre in Beirut. Both of Iraq's highest Shia authorities, Ayatallah al-Uzma Sayyid Ali Husayni al-Sistani and Ayatallah al-Uzma Sayyid Kazim al-Haeri (an Iraqi in exile in Qom and Sadr's chosen religious authority), have condemned the actions of occupying forces and voiced moral support for the actions of Sadr's people, though Sistani has an aversion to violence at this point.

Saddam Loyalists, which are OBVIOUSLY behind all of this, are mean people who cannot stand to see all of the "great progress". :eyes:

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Sources:

http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1079420178649
http://www.islamonline.org/English/News/2004-04/05/article10.shtml
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&e=1&u=/ap/20040406/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq
http://www.yellowtimes.org/article.php?sid=1847
http://csmonitor.com/2004/0406/p01s04-woiq.html
http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2004-04/06/article01.shtml
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5F79E495-C18B-4F11-A554-CD4F679B50D9.htm
http://www.juancole.com/2004_04_01_juancole_archive.html#108123335318825397
http://www.juancole.com/2004_04_01_juancole_archive.html#108122965779118317

This is getting really huge.

Did you look at this thread? http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=post&forum=104&topic_id=1352790&mesg_id=1352790

against the U.S.

begins the festival of Arba'in. Short version--it's a spinoff of Ashura, commemmorates 40 days after the martyrdom of Husayn on a battle that their ancestors should've shown up for.

The mourning of Husayn is part because of who he was and what he was doing, but moreso because of what didn't happen. He and his small convoy were massacred by an army of thousands, the forces of a cruel dictator and apostate he had sworn to resist. The people of Kufa (in Iraq, then the main powerbase of the Ali'd line) had pledged their tacit support, but when Husayn's party came under fire they never showed up. While they supported Husayn's fight, they would not support him on the battlefield out of complacency.. this cowardice has been mourned and regretted ever since and is a rallying call to prevent the scene from being repeated.

The effect of this will be hundreds of thousands of people on the streets of cities all over the south of Iraq this Thursday. Recent events make a few stark parallels. They may be thinking that their hearts are with Sadr and his fight is theirs, but will they show up when he faces trouble or will they act like the people of Kufa in Husayn's time, which is what brings them out to begin with..

Not quite sure how it'll play out, but it's a safe bet that it's bad time to be on the side of the occupyers in Iraq..

ongoing fighting there has been confirmed, with one Ukrainian occupation soldier dead and five others wounded.

Apparently in Karbala, at least 3 Bulgarian mercenaries on occupation duty have been wounded.

Fighting resumes in Falluja
Tuesday 06 April 2004

US occupation forces have battled Iraqi resistance fighters on the edges of Falluja, which hundreds of marines and Iraqi troops have surrounded in a major operation.

The military reported four marines killed, and two others were wounded. The occupation troops were killed by hostile fire on Monday, bringing to five the number of marines killed that day.

The military did not give details on the deaths, saying only that they took place in Anbar province, where Falluja is located.

Witnesses reported another American killed in fighting on Tuesday, but the report was not immediately confirmed.

The military also reported three US occupation soldiers killed in a single Baghdad neighborhood on Monday and on Tuesday.

--snip--

The only operating hospital in Falluja, about 65km west of Baghdad, was hit by US tank and missile fire overnight, reported Aljazeera's correspondent Ahmad Mansur on Tuesday.

--snip--

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/D43A5CDF-E1AF-4572-B027-B2AE9F4AC150.htm

Sadr Ends Sit-In ‘To Turn Off Bloodshed’

BAGHDAD, April 6 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr said Tuesday, April 6, he ended his sit-in at a mosque in Kufa and traveled to the holy city of An-Najaf to prevent “more bloodshed”, while Shiites’ spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Sistani called for calm and voiced his solidarity with the young firebrand leader.

“I have taken it upon myself to prevent more bloodshed,” he said in a statement, expressing concern the “sacred site of the mosque not be violated ... by people who do not back down from anything” out of respect for holy places, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.

Sadr said his decision to “observe a peaceful sit-in” at the mosque was taken to protest against “the aggressions committed by the infidel occupier against civilians”.

--snip--

Sadr’s Spokesman Qais Al-Khazali said Tuesday that fuming Shiites took to the streets spontaneously, denying that Sadr had sparked the uprising.

“It is a public uprising,” Khazali told a press conference, warning that it would rage on until occupation troop withdraw from populated areas and Iraqi prisoners are released.

“The uprising will continue and we will not negotiate unless they fulfill our demands, which are a withdrawal from populated areas and the release of prisoners,” Reuters news agency quoted him as saying.

--snip--

Shiites’ spiritual leader Sistani, in the meantime, voiced his solidarity with Sadr, Aljazeera satellite channel quoted a close aide to the veteran Shiite leader as saying.

Sistani said “the demonstrators' demands are legitimate” and “condemns acts waged by the occupation forces and pledges his support to the families of the victims”, he said.

--snip--

http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2004-04/06/article03.shtml

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shias and sunnis working together.. obviously civil war.

wait.. everyone tell me again how they will turn on each other like savage animals - as soon as we arent there.

even though it's been eclipsed by newer events..