My favorite soldier's blog has just posted the horrific news for our people serving in Iraq.s
strypgia - a soldier blogger - has written this about al-Sadr's reaction to the latest Mosque bombing.
The Golden Mosque of Samarra, which holds held the tombs of the 10th and 11th Imams, was one of the holiest shrines of Shi'a Islam. The start of the largest wave of sectarian violence was when it was bombed in Feb 06, destroying the dome of the mosque. It was attacked again two days ago, bringing down most of what survived, including the minarets.
Muqtada al-Sadr, Shi'a leader of the Mahdi Army, immediately declared the attack an 'American-Israeli conspiracy' and ordered his fighters to redouble their attacks against 'the occupiers'.
Us.
Our sector, in the heart of Baghdad, is heavily Shi'a. We're just a few kilometers from Sadr city itself, and al-Sadr is very, very popular in the muhallahs (neighborhoods)around us. Posters and banners honoring him, his father, uncle, brothers, and grandfather (who were all killed by Saddam, as well as major theological heavyweights) are everywhere. And now they've decided to take the gloves off.
And this is the result...
In the last 24 hours, we've been rocketed and mortared more than in the last two weeks combined.
I'm getting real tired of sprinting for the nearest impact shelter, especially when I'm starting from asleep in bed wearing just my shorts. Sprinting for you life across sharp gravel in bare feet is not a lot of fun. Hell, sprinting for your life alone suggests that the day is not going well to start with.
It's also very interesting what he says about "the success of the surge"...
Much of the quietude of the 'surge' period has been due less to the efforts of US forces than the simple fact that al-Sadr had ordered his followers to pull back and lay low while he surveyed our actions. He removed himself and many of his foot soldiers to Iran during the last few months for training and Islamic schooling for himself. (His father, uncle, and grandfather were all the equivalent of bishops and cardinals, while he's barely more than a street preacher, religiously speaking)
Fer fuck's sake people! LET'S GET OUR PEOPLE OUT OF THIS CIVIL WAR!!!!!
Please read the rest of his post HERE. It isn't very long.