US president publicly backs attacks on Iraq's Shiite insurgents, claiming factions are supported by Iran
IRAQ'S Washington-backed prime minister vowed yesterday to battle Shiite militias in Basra "to the end" as they showed no sign of heeding his deadline to lay down their arms by today.
Fighting spread to a string of towns across southern Iraq, bri
nging the death toll to more than 130 since Nouri al-Maliki, himself a Shiite, declared an offensive against "lawless gangs" in Basra on Tuesday.
In Ohio, George Bush, president of the United States, praised Mr Maliki's "bold decision to go after the illegal groups in Basra". He added: "It also shows the progress the Iraqi security forces have made during the surge," referring to the boost in US troop numbers in Iraq.
Shiite insurgents kept up a barrage of rocket fire into the Green Zone in Baghdad yesterday, where one civilian was killed and 14 others wounded.
In another challenge to Mr Maliki, huge anti-government demonstrations swept through sprawling Shiite slums in Baghdad, where protesters demanded his removal. "Maliki is an American agent! How can you strike Basra?" they chanted.
Saboteurs also bombed one of the main oil pipelines near Basra, causing US oil prices to rise briefly by more than a dollar a barrel. It was the first time since 2004 that the vital southern supply route had been disrupted. But Mr Maliki – who is directing the military operations – was standing firm: "We have made up our minds to enter the fight and we will continue to the end. No retreat."
Mr Bush insisted the fighting in Basra was a "positive moment" for the development of the Iraqi security forces and proof that the Baghdad government could defend itself. Despite the violence, he declared that "normalcy is returning to Iraq".
The Basra crisis is seen as a test of the Iraqi government's ability to take over its own security.
The British military handed over Basra province to Iraqi control in mid-December, withdrawing its 4,000 troops to an air base outside the city, where they have been bystanders in the current conflict.
Government forces have faced determined resistance in Basra from fighters of the Mahdi Army, the militia controlled by Muqtada al-Sadr, a powerful anti-American Shiite cleric.
Mr Maliki's aides and US commanders insist that the fight is not against Sadr's movement but breakaway factions funded and trained by Iran.
But Sadr's movement believes the real purpose of the government's military campaign is to weaken the Mahdi Army before local elections in October. Members of the movement also believe that American and Iraqi forces are exploiting a ceasefire Sadr declared last August to crack down on his power base.
Masked Mahdi gunmen brandishing rocket launchers and powerful rifles paraded defiantly through parts of Basra yesterday in vehicles seized from government troops. Basra's police chief survived a roadside bomb, which killed three of his bodyguards, while the city's central police station came under sustained mortar fire.
Fighting spread across a string of southern cities, including Kut – where 40 militiamen were reported to have been killed – Hilla, Diwanaya, Amara and the holy town of Kerbala.
The fighting has blown a gaping hole in Sadr's truce, which American commanders have credited with reducing violence in Iraq.
Mr Maliki set a 72-hour deadline on Wednesday for Shiite militants to lay down their arms or face "severe penalties".
REMAINS OF AMERICAN CONTRACTORS RETURNED HOME
US OFFICIALS yesterday identified the remains of two US contractors kidnapped in Iraq over a year ago.
The remains of Paul Johnson-Reuben, of Minnesota, and Joshua Mark Munns, of Redding, California, have been returned to the US. Both were employed at a security firm when kidnapped in November 2006.
The fate of five British hostages held in Iraq by Shia militiamen for the past ten months is unlikely to be affected by the latest fighting, sources said last night. Their kidnappers view them as valuable pawns they could trade for colleagues held by British forces.
The Britons' abduction was originally blamed on the Mahdi Army, but the militia denied responsibility.
A group calling itself the Islamic Shia Resistance said it was holding them in a videotape released last month showing one of the Britons, Peter Moore, a 32-year-old IT specialist.
It is thought the group is one of several over which Muqtada al-Sadr has no control since it has broken away from the Mahdi Army.
It is thought the five Britons are being held in Baghdad.
The full article contains 757 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
