The Long War Journal: Good to the last drop

Written by Bill Roggio on August 11, 2004 12:05 AM to The Long War Journal

Available online at: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2004/08/good_to_the_las.php

"I will continue fighting…I will remain in Najaf city until the last drop of my blood has been spilled." - Muqtada al-Sadr

Last week, bad-boy Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has been problematic since the fall of Saddam, began another of his 'uprisings' in an attempt to rally the Shiite population around his cause. It apears to be doomed like the last ones. According to Iraqi blogger Omar at Iraq the Model, it isn't going well for the Mahdi Army.

The chief of Najaf IP, brigadier Ghalib Al Jazaeri was interviewed by Al Sharqyia TV today and gave some important statements. Mr. Ghalib confirmed the IP control over the majority Najaf and said that Al Mahdi militia are besieged in small areas. He also said that most of them are surrendering and that among the 1200 captured till now there are 1000 from outside Najaf (Basra, Kut, Amarah, Baghdad) and 4 of them were Iranians who confessed that they have joined the Mahdi army. Those 4 were Transferred to Baghdad for “The importance of the information they have”.

The Associated Press estimates 360 insurgents have been killed in combat. It appears the Iraqis are developing a backbone and will not press for further meaningless truces or ceasefires.

Mr. Ghalib confirmed that there will be no negotiation with those who he described as “evil that we must get rid of” and repeated that no one is above the law, and resented the attempts of “The Sheát House” to help start negotiation with Sadr and he said that he still have the warrant of Muqtada’s arrest and he’s working on this persistently. He mentioned that yesterday he was in front of Muqtada’s house with a group of IP and ING but the door was closed and no one was in the house.

Najaf's governor has approved of operations in Najaf's Iman Ali shrine, and interim prime minister Allawi is also taking a hard line towards Sadr.

"All the Mahdi Army fighters should abandon their weapons and leave the city," he said, referring to Mr. Sadr's militiamen, after meeting with Marine commanders at an American base on the outskirts of the city. He promised that an end to the fighters' occupation of Najaf's old city and its golden mosque, one of Shiite Islam's most sacred shrines, would be followed by generous government financing for the city's reconstruction, but said that there would be no negotiating with the militiamen. "This is the core of the matter, and we will not waver," he said. "There will be absolutely no negotiations and no truce."

Sadr overplayed his hand a long time ago, but the Iraqi Governing Council was unwilling to use appropriate force to dispatch him. The new interim Iraqi government has talked tough on its commitment to reduce the violence in Iraq; this is the perfect case to prove their mettle. The legitimacy of the interim government and the very future of Iraq may well be riding on the actions taken against Sadr and his followers.

It is time to take Mr. Sadr up on his offer.