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Article: IRAQ: UNABLE TO DEFEAT MAHDI ARMY, U.S. AIMS TO DIVIDE IT.
- Article from:
- Interpress Service
- Article date:
- October 9, 2007
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Analysis by Gareth Porter*
WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2007 (IPS/GIN) -- The U.S. military command frequently asserts that the primary threat to U.S. forces in Iraq comes from Iranian meddling, but the real threat is the army of Shiite cleric Moqtada al Sadr.
Sadr's Mahdi army is determined to end the occupation, and it is simply too big and too well-entrenched to be weakened by military force.
The U.S. command began trying to enter into a political dialogue with Sadr's followers in early 2006 and now claims that such a dialogue has begun, according to a Sept. 12 article by Ned Parker of the Los Angeles Times.
Gen. David Petraeus hinted in ...