Iraqi PM outraged over alleged civilian deaths in Sadr City raid

Note that CNN carefully puts in "alleged" although it is quite clear there were some civilian deaths. The military report about killing "criminals" is repeated but at least the term is in scare quotes not that many people will notice.
This sort of outrage is commonplace and is no doubt meant to show that the premier does not approve and was not part of the planning. He no doubt wasn't. Who expects a premier to be informed of attacks on his own subjects!
There is no report of what Sadr has to say on the attack. The target was probably part of the Mahdi army he does not control so he may not say much. However, he may begin to lose support in his own stomping ground if he keeps up his virtually pacifist stance. He seems to be much more of an opportunist than a principled radical. He may do well in time given the corruption and deal-making that is rife in Iraq.


Iraqi PM outraged over alleged civilian Iraq Interior Ministry source says 15 civilians killed

U.S. military says it killed 49 "criminals"
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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki met Sunday with the top U.S. military commander in Iraq to voice his outrage over the reported deaths of Iraqi civilians during a Sunday morning military raid in Baghdad's Sadr City, a government spokesman told CNN.


Iraqis grieve the death of a relative killed during fights between U.S. troops and militants.

1 of 2 Al-Maliki expressed his concerns to Gen. David Petraeus over Iraqi reports that 10 to 15 civilians were killed in the raid, spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told CNN's "Late Edition."

The U.S. military said its ground forces are "unaware" of civilian deaths in the early morning raid that it said left 49 "criminals" dead.

"There is a great tension in the Iraqi government" over the incident, al-Dabbagh said.

During Sunday's meeting, he said al-Maliki "clearly mentioned that this excessive force ... by the Multi-National Forces used against civilians [is] not creating a good atmosphere."

An Iraqi Interior Ministry source told CNN that 15 civilians were killed -- all men -- and 52 other civilians were wounded, including women and children.

Sadr City's mayor, Hassan Adhab, told Iraqi state TV there were 10 "martyrs" -- including a mother and her three children -- and 42 others were wounded.

Coalition forces were targeting a man they said was a leader in an Iranian-funded kidnapping operation. U.S. military spokeswoman Sgt. Nicole Dykstra told CNN the target was "neither apprehended nor killed."

Adhab described a bloody scene, saying dozens of sheep were killed in the melee, and military aircraft still hovered over the neighborhood hours after the raid.

He blamed American forces for targeting cars carrying people who were heading to work early Sunday.

"We call upon Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to stop such immoral acts in Sadr City," Adhab said.

When asked about the Sadr City raid, the spokesman for the Baghdad Security Plan said Iraqi forces take every measure to avoid civilian casualties.

"If there are innocent civilian casualties in Sadr City or anywhere else -- then that is unfortunate," Brig. Gen. Qassim Atta said. "We hope both the Multi-National Forces and the Iraqi Security Forces demonstrate military restraint and respect human rights."

U.S.-Iraq relations have been strained since a September 16 shooting incident in Baghdad that left 17 civilians dead. Some in Iraq have accused Blackwater USA security contractors, whose guards are assigned to State Department officials, for indiscriminately killing the civilians. The incident is still under investigation.

Sadr City raid

The U.S. military said the joint ground forces were fired upon as they were clearing several buildings in the "target area."

"Supporting aircraft was called in to suppress the enemy fire, killing an estimated six criminals," a military news release stated.

"The operation's objective was an individual reported to be a longtime Special Groups member specializing in kidnapping operations," the military said. "Intelligence indicates he is a well-known cell leader and has previously sought funding from Iran to carry out high profile kidnappings."

The military said its forces were hit by a roadside bomb as they left the area, but the blast did not cause any casualties among coalition forces.

The Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman said many cars and many homes were damaged in the battle.

The ministry spokesman said the firefight took place between 1:30 a.m. (6:30 p.m. ET) and 6 a.m. (11 p.m. ET) in Sadr City, a densely populated Shiite slum where there is much grass-roots support for Iran and anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

"Special Groups are Shiite extremist militant groups trained, funded and supplied primarily by Iran through the Islamic Revolutionary Guards -- Quds Force," said U.S. Army Lt. Justin Cole.

"Special Groups have evolved over the past three years into insurgent elements using a cellular structure and operating independently."

"Special Groups operate throughout Iraq," Cole said. "They plan and execute bombings, kidnappings, sectarian murders and more against Iraqi citizens, Iraqi forces and coalition personnel." E-mail to a friend

US military strikes embarass Maliki.

This is from Juan Cole's blog. The US coddling of Iranian terrorist groups in Iraq is typical as well as the do nothing attitude towards the PKK in northern Iraq. The US must expect Turkey to just stand by indefinitely.
While the US paints a picture of an Iran that is destabilising both Iraq and Afghanistan the leaders of each country say Iran's role is constructive. Since the US claims that Iran is indirectly attacking the US both in Afghanistan and Iraq this must mean that both countries take this as a good thing! Even the puppets do not always toe the US line. They are not so completely inane they do not seek accomodations with their powerful neighbour. It is interesting that the US never claims that Saudi Arabia is causing instability in Iraq by supporting the Sunnis!


US Military Strikes Embarrass al-Maliki While he is in Tehran


The US military took advantage of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's absence from the country to settle some scores with the Mahdi Army in Sadr City (East Baghad), attacking units there and mounting air strikes on them, killing 32 and wounding about a dozen. Local observers claimed that the attacks killed 9 innocent civilians, but the US military said the casualties were militiamen. When al-Maliki is in Baghdad, he tends to run interference for the Sadr Movement, which elected him to office, and to attempt to convince the US military to put off attacking these Shiite forces until after the Sunni Arab guerrillas are dealt with decisively.

Iraqslogger shows the reaction in Sadr City. It isn't pretty.

Not only did the US military attack these Shiite forces unilaterally, but its spokesmen attempted to link the Mahdi Army cell attacked to the importation of explosively formed projectiles from Iran.

It cannot be an accident that both the attack and the attempt to implicate Iran (with no evidence for the allegations against Tehran provided) came while al-Maliki was in Tehran for high level consultations with the Iranian government.

In other words, the US military is playing a dangerous political game of attempting to undermine al-Maliki's diplomacy with Iran and to alienate the Sadr Movement from him altogether (it has already suspended membership in his government). For more on the timing of (surely overstated) US military announcements implicating Iran so as to undermine talks with Tehran by US and Iraqi diplomats, see Bill Beeman's comments below. This is not the proper role for generals, and it is shocking that Amassador Ryan Crocker and Secretary of State Condi Rice allow it to go on.

In Tehran, al-Maliki was attempting to get Iranian security cooperation and also a pledge of help with providing fuel and electricity to East Baghdad. Al-Maliki is caught between his two patrons, Iran and the US, and needs the support of both to survive politically.

Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that the Iranians hit back at US charges at the security meeting in Damascus, saying that the US and Iraq were not in a position to lecture others on terrorism as long as they gave refuge in Iraq to the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO or MEK), which is responsible for numerous bombings and other terrorism in Iran. The US State Department acknowledges that the MEK is a terrorist organization, but the Pentagon is using it against Iran anyway. Turkey likewise chimed in on US/Iraqi hypocrisy, complaining that terrorists of the PKK (Kurdish Workers Party) are being coddled inside the Iraqi border.