I blogged in February that insurgents’ discovery of chlorine bombs was an especially ominous turn in Iraq—optimistic assessments of the “surge” notwithstanding—because the bombs have far higher death tolls than standard I.E.D.’s.
Today the sixth chlorine bomb in 2 months exploded in Anbar province. A chlorine-laden truck bomb in Ramadi killed 20 and wounded at least 30.
The only believable good news regarding the surge was a drop in the death toll between mid-February and mid-March. In reality, the drop was likely due to Moktada al-Sadr’s order that his Mahdi Army militia cease resisting the Americans by violent means.
Even though the military hasn’t come right out and told the press that al-Sadr is responsible for the surge’s apparent success, they know he is. Last week, the military released a key aide to al-Sadr, which the Sacramento Bee called “a sure sign U.S. officials are working hard to keep al-Sadr’s support for the Baghdad security plan.” Al-Sadr has called for a demonstration against the American occupation on April 9 and ejected two associates who met with Americans, but he has continued to say that his followers should not resist the security surge by violent means.
So why is the U.S. killing civilians and militiamen in al-Sadr’s home turf of Sadr City? Earlier today, U.S. and Iraqi forces raided residential neighborhoods there. They killed 4 and wounded 3 militiamen. But they didn’t stop there. After distributing pamphlets encouraging people to cooperate with security forces, American helicopters fired missiles that wounded 15 civilians. The New York Times reports, “American forces later fired on a Toyota sedan, killing all three passengers inside. And two students were killed by mortar when Americans fired on a college residence by mistake, Iraqi police said.”
What? What kind of perverse incentive is that to retain the (albeit lukewarm) cooperation of the Sadrists? Predictably, a representative of al-Sadr’s group—which is big and powerful—expressed anger and confusion. Haydar Al Natiq, of the Sadr office in Diwaniya, told the Times, “This operation is unjustified and will stir up the situation in the time where a peace conference was supposed to be held between the Sadrists and the security forces.”
