Back in September I noted that there was A True Test Upcoming in Iraq, which was the British draw down in Basra.
At the moment, things aren’t going so well (via the BBC): Fresh clashes break out in Basra
Police and witnesses report clashes in five districts of Basra. More than 40 people are said to have died overall.
[...]
Health and military officials say more than 40 people have been killed in the fighting, and more than 100 hurt. It is unclear how many are militants, soldiers and civilians.
And, to add more complexity to the mix, fighting is also ongoing in Baghdad:
Fighting is continuing in Baghdad, and there have been casualties after rockets were fired at the Green Zone.
[...]
In Baghdad, rockets were fired at the Green Zone, the diplomatic and government compound.
Five Iraqi civilians were killed by stray rockets, while inside the heavily fortified zone three Americans were seriously injured.
In Sadr City, a vast Shia suburb in the capital, there were overnight clashes between Mehdi Army fighters and American and Iraqi soldiers.
Twenty people died in the violence and at least 115 people have been injured, according to police.
Here and in other Shia areas of Iraq, many shops and offices are shuttered, indicating Moqtada Sadr’s call for a campaign of civil disobedience is being followed.
The key element in all of this is the reactivation of Sadr’s Mehdi Army, who have been dormant during the recent Surge period.
Via Reuters: Iraqi forces battle for control of oil city
Iraqi security forces battled fighters loyal to Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in Basra on Tuesday in a drive to win control of the southern oil city, triggering a wave of violence in Baghdad and other cities.
The Prime Minister has given Sadr an ultimatum to stop the fighting, although the degree to which Iraqi security forces can actually stop the Mehdi Army remains to be seen. The civil conflict in Iraq may well be heading into a new phase.
Sphere: Related Content
