Kufa Digs In

The New York Times printed this little story.

KUFA, Iraq, April 5 — The Grand Mosque of Kufa has now become the grand arsenal. On Monday, as American authorities issued an arrest warrant for Moktada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric who set off the most serious insurrection so far against the occupation forces, hundreds of his supporters were busy fortifying the mosque here with heavy weapons, bracing for an American invasion.

I wonder if they’ve ever heard the phrase “fortress without a roof”? If the Iraq Ruling Council agrees to it, I say we build them a brand new air-conditioned mosque while turning the old one into a parking lot. We can just send these Shiite radicals a message that their building has been condemned.
Other options are more hazardous, but can still accomplish the task.

Mr. Sadr has barricaded himself inside the golden brick walls, refusing to surrender. His militia is prowling the streets, staring down the sights of machine guns, building fighting positions in and around the mosque, the town's biggest, and pointing rocket-propelled grenades at the highway heading north — the road they expect to see American forces come rumbling down.

If they want to lob some RPG’s at our M1’s, they’re welcome to try. They’ll achieve about the same results as they did in stopping our “Thunder Run” through Baghdad, which went like a shoot’em up game. And remember, “Thunder Run” was against Saddam’s best soldiers.

"The only way the Americans will enter this city is entering over our bodies," said Sheik Abu Mahdi al-Rubayee, a commander in Mr. Sadr's private army, estimated to number in the tens of thousands. "If they come for our leader, they will ignite all of Iraq."

The human speed-bump speaks wisdom, though most of Iraq will be celebrating the fact that they won’t be suffering under the tyrannical rule of a 31 year old idiot radical.

American officials, who have accused Mr. Sadr of inciting violence and unleashing his band of armed followers against American troops, have said they will capture Mr. Sadr when they are ready.

"There will be no warning," said Dan Senor, a senior spokesman for occupation authorities.

That sounds like a very violent snatch-and-grab with AC-130 support.

Many Kufa residents are dreading a showdown. The streets are full of militiamen, in open disregard of occupation laws calling for private armies to be disbanded. At a kebab stand in front of the grand mosque, a man winced as truckloads of armed young men whizzed past.

And the gun camera footage of us engaging armed men in pick-up trucks left me howling with laughter on many a fine evening.

"This is bad," said Adil Sahab, a doctor's assistant. "Look at how idle these boys are. Trouble is coming. Can't you feel it?"

If he’s a doctor’s assistant, he should also note that business is coming, too. Idle hands do the devil’s work, and these “militiamen” are soon going to meet their employer.

Kufa, 100 miles south of Baghdad with a population 110,000, is the first Iraqi city to spin entirely out of occupation control. The town is a stronghold of conservative Shiite beliefs.

The town may soon find out what happens when you bet your life with a power mad 31 year old ne’er do well who doesn’t know how to do anything but preach hatred and violence. He’d be a Crip or Blood leader, but he doesn’t have the requisite organizational skills, rectitude, and wisdom. Thus he’s fortifying a fixed position built out of bricks, confident that we wouldn’t dare blow it to hell. The reason we’ve refrained from attacking a mosque is that we didn’t want the locals to rebel. If they’ve already rebelled then there isn’t much reason to refrain anymore, now is there?

Though Mr. Sadr is not an ayatollah, or top cleric, he has a devoted following. Part of his appeal is his youth. The other part is his militancy. While other Shiite clerics have pressed for moderation, Mr. Sadr has openly rejected the occupation. His newspaper, Al Hawza, was closed last week after American authorities accused it of printing lies that incited violence. That began a cycle of demonstrations that culminated in widespread bloodshed on Sunday.

Ok, so he isn’t a top cleric, who of course knows nothing about combat. That means he knows less than nothing. And idiots are following him.

"He is one of the only who is not afraid," said Falah Hussein, a laborer. "He refuses the occupation. Totally. That's why we like him."

“He’s the only one of us who’s too stupid to be afraid. That’s why we’ll follow him like sheep to the slaughter.”