White House defends lifting of Iraq checkpoints

[Barrett808]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House defended lifting a blockade around the flashpoint Baghdad suburb of Sadr City, saying it was still committed to fighting insurgents and finding an abducted US soldier.

"We're continuing to go after them. So there is no slackening of the desire to go after the people who are creating violence," said spokesman Tony Snow, who stressed that the checkpoints were choking off economic activity.

"There was a real concern that for a lot of Iraqis trying to get to work, they had to wait two or three hours just to get through a checkpoint, and it was becoming a real problem for a lot of people," said Snow.

Iraqi Shiite militants earlier claimed a major political victory after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's office announced that he had ordered US and Iraqi units to end the clampdown on Sadr City.

US commanders believe Shiite gunmen may be holding a kidnapped US soldier in Sadr City, and since last week their troops had been maintaining a cordon of checkpoints and roadblocks around the area.

"We are still looking for him," Snow said.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061101/pl_afp/usiraqunrestcordon

[Waya]

1. Iraqi PM hands Sadr victory over US blockade

Iraqi Shiite militants have won a major political victory when Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered US and Iraqi units to lift a blockade around the flashpoint Baghdad suburb of Sadr City.

American commanders believe Shiite gunmen may be holding a kidnapped US soldier in the east Baghdad slum and since last week their troops have been maintaining a cordon of checkpoints and roadblocks around the area.

Iraqi and US forces have also launched raids inside the district, most recently on Tuesday morning, when they arrested three suspects.

But US forces began lifting the blockade shortly before Maliki's 5.00 pm deadline, triggering a triumphant response from local youths who waved banners from racing trucks and mopeds in an impromptu victory rally.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/061031/1/44gbm.html

[sabra]

2. VP criticises Iraq PM for ending siege

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/1864F725-A77B-4F8B-BA95-BFA2C8262DD2.htm

Iraq PM criticised for ending siege

Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, has come in for criticism for ending the 'siege' of the Baghdad suburb of al-Sadr city.

Tariq al-Hashimi, Iraq's vice president, on Wednesday slammed al-Maliki's order of lifting checkpoints around the predominantly Shia neighbourhood.

Al-Hashimi said: "Those checkpoints were installed according Baghdad security plan, and was approved by all government components. By lifting them the prime minister is acting alone without consulting his partners in the government who were involved in the process."

He said that the move would ease the "movement of terrorists" to and from al-Sadr city, which is the main stronghold of al-Mahdi Army, a militia loyal to the Iraqi Shia leader Moqtada al-Sadr.

[nealmhughes]

3. Evidently, with the Sunni militias surrounding the roads into and out of Bdad

the Shiites feel a bit "hemmed in" and fear that a bloodbath and civil war might erupt were they to unify and enter the city....

Plus, he is only a Shiite puppet anyhow...he's not even the Mayor of the Green Zone!

[radfringe]

4. looks like "someone" ok'd a cut 'n run in Sadr City... n/t

[FernBell]

5. Shrub makes plans to lose. Why is this no surprise?

[truthisfreedom]

6. weak president.

weak decisions, weak position, weak mind.

[yellowcanine]

7. Sounds as if they threw a kidnapped soldier under the bus for political reasons.

This was not a military decision. So who is it that is not supporting the troops?

[gratuitous]

8. Tony Snow, auditioning his stand-up routine

"There was a real concern that for a lot of Iraqis trying to get to work, they had to wait two or three hours just to get through a checkpoint."

:rofl:

Good one, Tony. You're not worried about the bombs, or the spotty electrical service, or the wholesale looting of Iraq's oil, or anything else going on in that shithole your boss created. But golly, people are trying to get to work!

And the presstitutes just nod and write it down, as if it had some connection to reality.