Baghdad Warms To Sunni Awakening -- From The Asia Times:
BAQUBA - A massive military operation in Diyala province has underscored the military and political gains by the Sahwa militia, despite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's earlier attempts to thwart them. Maliki has now apparently come around to involving the Sahwa rather than opposing them.
The Sahwa are the "Awakening Forces" created and paid by the US military to co-opt militants and to fight al-Qaeda, but which have become a force of their own parallel to the military and the police.
They are a mostly Sunni militia of about 90,000 comprising mostly former anti-occupation resistance fighters and even al-Qaeda members. Each member is paid US$300 monthly.
The Sahwa have long been at odds with the regular Iraqi forces, but they came out in strength this time following a promise of 3,000 jobs for their members in the national police.
The move came after Maliki, who leads a Shi'ite-dominated government, dropped his long opposition to absorption of Sahwa members in government forces.
Read more ....
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IA soldiers seize large weapons cache in Sadr City -- Operation Iraqi Freedom
BAGHDAD – An Iraqi citizen led Iraqi Army Soldiers to a weapons cache in the Sadr City district of Baghdad Aug. 4.
“We saved a lot of lives tonight,” said Maj. Gen. Muzer, commander of the 11th Iraqi Army Division. “We will never know how many, but this is something of which we can be proud.”
Iraqi Army Soldiers with the 3rd Battalion, 42nd Brigade, 11th Iraq Army Division, found the cache at approximately 7:30 p.m. The cache consisted of 28 107 mm Iranian rockets; one 107 mm Chinese rocket; seven 122 mm Russian rockets; 63 60 mm Iranian mortars; one 240 mm warhead; 25 Chinese fuses; 25 Iranian fuses; a propellant charge for a rocket propelled grenade; one 120 mm mortar tube; two Iranian 60 mm mortar tubes; one 81 mm mortar tube; eight 107 mm rocket launchers; eight mortar sights; improvised explosi
They are a mostly Sunni militia of about 90,000 comprising mostly former anti-occupation resistance fighters and even al-Qaeda members. Each member is paid US$300 monthly.
The Sahwa have long been at odds with the regular Iraqi forces, but they came out in strength this time following a promise of 3,000 jobs for their members in the national police.
The move came after Maliki, who leads a Shi'ite-dominated government, dropped his long opposition to absorption of Sahwa members in government forces.
Read more ....
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IA soldiers seize large weapons cache in Sadr City -- Operation Iraqi Freedom
BAGHDAD – An Iraqi citizen led Iraqi Army Soldiers to a weapons cache in the Sadr City district of Baghdad Aug. 4.
“We saved a lot of lives tonight,” said Maj. Gen. Muzer, commander of the 11th Iraqi Army Division. “We will never know how many, but this is something of which we can be proud.”
Iraqi Army Soldiers with the 3rd Battalion, 42nd Brigade, 11th Iraq Army Division, found the cache at approximately 7:30 p.m. The cache consisted of 28 107 mm Iranian rockets; one 107 mm Chinese rocket; seven 122 mm Russian rockets; 63 60 mm Iranian mortars; one 240 mm warhead; 25 Chinese fuses; 25 Iranian fuses; a propellant charge for a rocket propelled grenade; one 120 mm mortar tube; two Iranian 60 mm mortar tubes; one 81 mm mortar tube; eight 107 mm rocket launchers; eight mortar sights; improvised explosi
Read more ....
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IA soldiers seize large weapons cache in Sadr City -- Operation Iraqi Freedom
BAGHDAD – An Iraqi citizen led Iraqi Army Soldiers to a weapons cache in the Sadr City district of Baghdad Aug. 4.
“We saved a lot of lives tonight,” said Maj. Gen. Muzer, commander of the 11th Iraqi Army Division. “We will never know how many, but this is something of which we can be proud.”
Iraqi Army Soldiers with the 3rd Battalion, 42nd Brigade, 11th Iraq Army Division, found the cache at approximately 7:30 p.m. The cache consisted of 28 107 mm Iranian rockets; one 107 mm Chinese rocket; seven 122 mm Russian rockets; 63 60 mm Iranian mortars; one 240 mm warhead; 25 Chinese fuses; 25 Iranian fuses; a propellant charge for a rocket propelled grenade; one 120 mm mortar tube; two Iranian 60 mm mortar tubes; one 81 mm mortar tube; eight 107 mm rocket launchers; eight mortar sights; improvised explosive device-making materials, and video tapes of attacks on Iraqi Security and Coalition forces.
Read more ....
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My Comment: The citizens of Iraq are the ones who are now pointing out the "bad guys" .... en masse.
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IA soldiers seize large weapons cache in Sadr City -- Operation Iraqi Freedom
BAGHDAD – An Iraqi citizen led Iraqi Army Soldiers to a weapons cache in the Sadr City district of Baghdad Aug. 4.
“We saved a lot of lives tonight,” said Maj. Gen. Muzer, commander of the 11th Iraqi Army Division. “We will never know how many, but this is something of which we can be proud.”
Iraqi Army Soldiers with the 3rd Battalion, 42nd Brigade, 11th Iraq Army Division, found the cache at approximately 7:30 p.m. The cache consisted of 28 107 mm Iranian rockets; one 107 mm Chinese rocket; seven 122 mm Russian rockets; 63 60 mm Iranian mortars; one 240 mm warhead; 25 Chinese fuses; 25 Iranian fuses; a propellant charge for a rocket propelled grenade; one 120 mm mortar tube; two Iranian 60 mm mortar tubes; one 81 mm mortar tube; eight 107 mm rocket launchers; eight mortar sights; improvised explosive device-making materials, and video tapes of attacks on Iraqi Security and Coalition forces.
Read more ....
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My Comment: The citizens of Iraq are the ones who are now pointing out the "bad guys" .... en masse.