DeMarco
06-19-2007, 02:35 AM
Az-Zaman and Al-Hayat reported that heavy battles are occurring between the British forces and the Mahdi Army in 'Amara and Nasiriya in southern Iraq, along the Iraqi-Iranian borders.
Az-Zaman said that over 115 Iraqis were killed or injured in the clashes, including civilians, while al-Hayat put the number of dead at 46.
In 'Amara, it seems, the British Army has begun a major operation against what it claims to be “secret cells” smuggling weapons into Iraq from Iran, and sending fighters for training in the Islamic Republic; according to Az-Zaman, these “Iranian intelligence cells” have been in operation for over two years.
Following the first clashes, the newspaper reported, British choppers threw tracts over the city of 'Amara that said: “the Iraqi government will not tolerate terrorism, and Misan will not remain a safe haven for the Iranian ‘Quds’ forces and its agents who want to undermine the sovereignty of Iraq.” The tracts also contained pictures of three men with the words “your time has come” printed under the photos.
Az-Zaman quoted “eye-witnesses” as saying that “Iranian elements mobilized openly after receiving a surprise strike along the provinces bordering Iran.” Al-Hayat identified the men engaged in the fighting as “belonging mostly to the Mahdi Army.”
In the same day, Az-Zaman continued, heavy clashes erupted in the city of Nasiriya between the Mahdi Army and Iraqi/British forces. Nasiriya had witnessed several rounds of fighting between the Badr Brigade and the Mahdi Army over the last months, the paper added. Sadrists claim that the Iraqi security forces in Nasiriya are, in effect, members of the Badr Brigade, and that they act on behalf of their militia, not the Iraqi state.
http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/3249/Iraqi_Papers_Tues_Your_Time_Has_Come
Large scale operations are underway in northern and southern Iraq as we speak.
Az-Zaman said that over 115 Iraqis were killed or injured in the clashes, including civilians, while al-Hayat put the number of dead at 46.
In 'Amara, it seems, the British Army has begun a major operation against what it claims to be “secret cells” smuggling weapons into Iraq from Iran, and sending fighters for training in the Islamic Republic; according to Az-Zaman, these “Iranian intelligence cells” have been in operation for over two years.
Following the first clashes, the newspaper reported, British choppers threw tracts over the city of 'Amara that said: “the Iraqi government will not tolerate terrorism, and Misan will not remain a safe haven for the Iranian ‘Quds’ forces and its agents who want to undermine the sovereignty of Iraq.” The tracts also contained pictures of three men with the words “your time has come” printed under the photos.
Az-Zaman quoted “eye-witnesses” as saying that “Iranian elements mobilized openly after receiving a surprise strike along the provinces bordering Iran.” Al-Hayat identified the men engaged in the fighting as “belonging mostly to the Mahdi Army.”
In the same day, Az-Zaman continued, heavy clashes erupted in the city of Nasiriya between the Mahdi Army and Iraqi/British forces. Nasiriya had witnessed several rounds of fighting between the Badr Brigade and the Mahdi Army over the last months, the paper added. Sadrists claim that the Iraqi security forces in Nasiriya are, in effect, members of the Badr Brigade, and that they act on behalf of their militia, not the Iraqi state.
http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/3249/Iraqi_Papers_Tues_Your_Time_Has_Come
Large scale operations are underway in northern and southern Iraq as we speak.