Watch Your Flank
Topic: Iraq War|
The war in Iraq has taken a new twist in recent days. Fighting has flared in Baghdad and Southern Iraq between the Iraqi government, backed by the US, and principally rogue elements of Moqtada Al-Sadr’s militia, known as the Mahdi Army in an attempt to tamp down growing tensions between the south’s Shia factions. This rift, occurring between the Mahdi Army and their Shia rival, the Badr Brigade, is quite troubling. Since the power vacuum was created following the ousting of Saddam Hussein, Shiite factions have been vying for supremacy in Iraq. The wild card, of course, is the role of Iran. Their influence in the struggle has been immense and they are sure to play a significant part in the current conflagration. The current tensions have arisen over the rich oil reserves in southern Iraq and principally in Basra, Iraq’s third largest city and chief port on the Persian Gulf. For the time being Al-Sadr continues to uphold his cease fire despite mounting casualties. If he elects to end the cease fire you will begin to see large scale fighting break out in the south, ending years of relative calm. To put the current crisis in perspective I have included a recent report from Al-Jazeera-English:
Thousands in Baghdad Protest Basra Assault
