Quote:
Defence Secretary Des Browne emphatically denied the claims last night, saying: 'Our forces were not prevented from going into Basra by any deal of any sort.'
The Ministry of Defence insisted that the British role had been limited only by Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Air Vice-Marshal Chris Nickols, Assistant Chief of Defence Staff, said: 'The only limit placed on the profile of our support was Mr Maliki’s rightful concern that the operation was seen by the people of Basrah to be Iraqi-led.'
No U.S. combat units deployed into Basra, he added.
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So at this point, the "deal", is a denied allegation.
Quote:
Yesterday the Wall Street Journal reported that al-Sadr will lay down arms and transform his organisation into a political, social, and spiritual movement. Details are to be announced at Friday prayers.
The US military was not holding its breath yesterday, as al-Sadr has called for ceasefires before - usually followed by an outbreak of violence.
But if the Mahdi Army were to disarm it would be a significant shift in the security situation in Iraq. As a militia it is the main group opposing US forces in Iraq, and as a Shia organisation it fuels much of the sectarian violence that threatens to catapult Iraq into civil war
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It doesn't take a genius to figure out, if they cool it for awhile, the infidels will go home, then they can get back to business as usual.
