Word: saddams
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...belief that the future of Iraq must be non-secular. A Shi'a, he is married to a Sunni, and one of his sons is named Omar, a distinctively Sunni name. Accusations of pro-Shi'a bias have plagued the Army (which is predominantly Shi'a) since its post-Saddam reconstruction, but Ali says he does not tolerate any favoritism among his soldiers...
Featuring one of the most volatile social and religious dynamics in the country, the area is dotted with Shi'a urban centers surrounded by Sunni farming communities. The Sunni tribes, many of whom were favored under Saddam's regime, became early allies of al-Qaeda in Iraq, while the Shi'as increasingly aligned themselves with Moqtada al-Sadr, his Mahdi Army and its many more extreme offshoots. Two major highways from the south bisect the region, making it a favored way-station for anyone ferrying money, fighters or weapons into or out of Baghdad. Locals were often forced to join...
...Australian forces ended their mission in southern Iraq this week and began heading home, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd praised the troops but said the decision to send them had been a mistake. The government of his predecessor, John Howard, had joined the war against Saddam Hussein's regime "without a full and proper assessment ... of its consequences." At Tallil air base, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Websdane's praise for his soldiers was unqualified: "You should be proud of your achievements...
...Australians have not been engaged in fighting in Iraq since Saddam's armies were defeated in 2003; they've performed their mission with few injuries and no fatalities. The 550 ground troops now leaving the country have spent the past five years overseeing security in the relatively calm Al-Muthanna and Dhi Qar provinces. They've protected reconstruction workers, trained Iraqi police and soldiers, gathered intelligence, fostered amity among local leaders, and promoted democracy and the rule of law. "They trained the local security forces and restored confidence," said the Australia Defence Association's Neil James. "That they were...
...arrangement effectively gives Iraqi security forces their first real presence in Sadr City since the fall of Saddam Hussein and marks a victory in Maliki's ongoing efforts to face down the militias and insurgents opposed to his government. Iraqi forces plan to remain in Sadr City and have begun setting up a series of checkpoints across the district, much as they have in other areas of Baghdad. For his part, Sadr seems to have gained little in the near term with the pact beyond sparing Sadr City and his militia forces a long and destructive battle. But Mahdi Army...