Did Al Sadr win?

[Really Big Bama Fan]

Did Al Sadr win when he was allowed to walk out free and clear from the Imam Ali Mosque? I think every time the U.S. forces show restraint in places like Najaf and Fallugia, the Moslem fanatics use it as a propaganda victory and simply recruit more supporters. These guys need to be wiped out. They cannot be allowed to just walk away!

 

[Ldlane]

You better believe that he won! Not only that, but the Shia majority won as they showed the "true" power within the country. This is going to be a "Noriega" repeat! We are going to have to deal with this guy sooner or later!

 

[Bamaro]

Yup!

 

[CrimsonNan]

Yes, he won! We should have bombed that mosque to pieces and killed everyone in it. Do any of you think if our marines hid in a cathedral, that the terrorists would hesitate for a minute before bombing it, rushing it, and/or killing everyone inside? Of course not!

 

[deliveryman35]

Yes he did. Remember Khomeini in Iran? The Shah let him off the hook basically and sent him into exile, he ended up in France for a while(BIG surprise there!LOL) and when he came back, he was regarded as a hero who would stand up to the West and literally took over the country. The moral to the story--you've got to take these thugs out when you have the chance. If you don't and let them live to see another day, they always come back to haunt you. I assure you, we have not seen the last of this guy.

 

[U-A]

I don't think he won anything. Like a fellow poster said on here, his following is not that big and many other fanatical groups within Iraq can not stand the guy.

He is free right now but whether he stays that way is doubtful, IMO.

 

[tide69]

Yes,the fat sob is more powerful than ever.Our military policy in postwar Iraq sucks.

 

[TRUTIDE]

Al Sadr is a nobody

What would have been a mistake would have been to blow up one of Iraq's Holy mosque. We had said all along that we would not send troops into the mosque and that it would be Iraqis that would advance into the mosque. We certainly were not going to blow it up. This would have turned the "people" of Iraq against and slowed our progress. The people of Iraq were already upset with Al Sadr for using their Holy ground as a bunker.

Al Sadr is a nobody. We would have not gained any benefit from blowing up the people's holy ground for one man. I dont doubt that he will get his in due time but this was not the right time.

 

[NBF_Bama_Cavalry]

I think he'll get it eventually, also. This article loses some credibility though; it's Pravda and they obviously don't like the U.S. and GWB.

Basically, this gives the rebels everything they had been fighting for and if it is a victory for Iraq and the Iraqi people, it is also a defeat for the United States of America which sees clearly that despite its military hardware and hundreds of billions of dollars spent during its murderous and disastrous campaign in Iraq, it does not have the capacity to break the will of determined fighters with little more than handguns to fight with.

 

[Queasy1]

United States of America which sees clearly that despite its military hardware and hundreds of billions of dollars spent during its murderous and disastrous campaign in Iraq, it does not have the capacity to break the will of determined fighters with little more than handguns to fight with.

The opposing side would be that despite all hardware necessary to completely annihalate the entire area around the mosque, the United States showed incredible restraint in trying not to take lives unnecessarily.

Frankly, I would have liked to seen them level that place but the resulting anti-American sentiment would probably have been raised to a fever pitch at that point.

 

[Bamaro]

I dont like it but what choice did we really have. If the Iraqui govt agrees to the deal, our hands are tied unless we lied to them about their sovernity.

 

[U-A]

I dont like it but what choice did we really have. If the Iraqui govt agrees to the deal, our hands are tied unless we lied to them about their sovernity.

Not really since the US could easily find a loophole in many of these deals, such as prior warrents or so on....

 

[TexasTide]

Al Sadr surrendered. In the Arab culture I believe this was the worst possible scenario. Had he been killed, especially if we had taken out the mosque as well, he would have been a martyr and a hero. Surrender is for cowards.

The best case would have been to kill him several months ago before anyone knew who he was but I think he will fade away now. The people that supported him don't want a politician. They wanted a militant who was willing to die for their cause.

 

[bandersnatch45]

He didn't "win" precicely, but he did gain something almost as good, namely time. He doesn't have to win right now as long as he stays alive. His men gave up a lot of weapons, but in a country that was described by some of our soldiers as a gigantic weapons depot, how long do you think that it will take them to re-arm?

He lives to fight another day and he knows that the Grand Ayatollah will not live forever. This guy has his sights set on the Big Turban in the Shiite community and he has shown that he will do what it takes to get it.

We probably don't want to meddle in the internal workings of the Shias, but the above is reason enough to give this fellow a round to the head at long range. My guess is that not many in Iraq will weep for his passing.

 

[Tidewater]

Yes, he won! We should have bombed that mosque to pieces and killed everyone in it. Do any of you think if our marines hid in a cathedral, that the terrorists would hesitate for a minute before bombing it, rushing it, and/or killing everyone inside? Of course not!

That would be about as provocative as bombing the Vatican (with the Pope inside) and asking Catholics to support our policy. There are a bunch of Iraqis, including Shi'ites, that will need to have on our side, if we will ever have enough stability in that country so we can draw down our troops strength any time soon. Bombings that mosque might make us feel good in the short run, but we would lose any good will from those Iraqis whom we want on our side.

You cannot kill you way to victory in a counter-insurgency. Ask the Russians. They got some feedback on that question this week. You have to support the friendlies, co-opt those on the fence, and marginalize those that won't be co-opted.