U.S. Begins Erecting Wall in Sadr City

[babylonsister]

Hmmm. How would we feel if another country was doing this in our country? I don't think we'd take too kindly to it.


U.S. Begins Erecting Wall in Sadr City
Joao Silva for The New York Times


Under the supervision of American forces, workers began building a wall to partition the Sadr City area of Baghdad on Thursday.


By MICHAEL R. GORDON
Published: April 18, 2008

BAGHDAD — Trying to stem the infiltration of militia fighters, American forces have begun to build a massive concrete wall that will partition Sadr City, the densely populated Shiite neighborhood in the Iraqi capital.

The construction, which began Tuesday night, is intended to turn the southern quarter of Sadr City near the international Green Zone into a protected enclave, secured by Iraqi and American forces, where the Iraqi government can undertake reconstruction efforts.

“You can’t really repair anything that is broken until you establish security,” said Lt. Col. Dan Barnett, commander of the First Squadron, Second Stryker Cavalry Regiment. “A wall that isolates those who would continue to attack the Iraqi Army and coalition forces can create security conditions that they can go in and rebuild.”

On Wednesday night, huge cranes slowly lifted heavy concrete blocks into place under a moonless sky. The barriers were implanted on Al Quds Street, a major thoroughfare that separates the Tharwa and Jamilla districts to the south from the heart of Sadr City to the north.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/world/middleeast/18sadrcity.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin

[RedCappedBandit]

1. Not many history majors in the current admin., eh?

[malaise]

2. Iraqis will soon blow it to bits n/t

[Larkspur]

3. Walls didn't work for the Communists. Why would it work for the US?

I think this is evidence that the US is mimicking what Israel is doing to the Palestinians. Both Israel and the US are building walls to segregate people we don't like from us. Course, it's always done in the name of security but what Israel and the US are trying to secure is their imperial ambitions.

[Soylent Brice]

4. that seem like a great solution...

...i guess they figured if it worked so well in Berlin in the 60's it should do wonders in Iraq...:sarcasm:

is erecting a wall in the middle of foreign-occupied territory an analogy for the ostrich syndrome? just wondering.

[leftchick]

5. "into a protected enclave" eh?

Here is Gorden shilling for the neocon occupiers again. :argh:

I am so fucking sick of his propaganda pieces. The truth is, much like Israel has done to Gaza, The US occupiers are trying the old wall method of subduing the population into compliance. And that always works so well! :puke:

[marmar]

6. I guess "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" doesn't apply to us....

:argh:

[tonkatoy57]

7. Psst...

I guess the word Warsaw doesn't ring a bell for anyone in this administration or the military.

I thought the GOP was supposed to be hot shit when it came to PR? Oh well, I guess that's what happens when you get a dangerous mix of Buck Tugidson generals, world conquest junkies, and recent graduates of Bob Jones University and Patrick Henry University making policy.

Somebody wake me up when this is over.

[NNN0LHI]

8. Sounds like they are enlarging the Green Zone

[EFerrari]

10. If they were doing that, they'd evict those people first.

I think they're walling them in.

[EFerrari]

9. The Warsaw Ghetto in Iraq. You saw it happen. n/t