Word: shied
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...current Iraqi battalion commander in south Ghazaliya, Col. Jabar, has a much better reputation here than his predecessor. He comes from Basra, whereas his predecessor, Col. Sabah, grew up in a Shi'ite neighborhood adjacent to Ghazaliya. Both men are Shi'ites, but Jabar has no personal stake in Ghazaliya...
...Jabar's battalion is set to leave the area soon, to be replaced by a unit run by one of his prot?g?s. But beyond the fairness and effectiveness of individual Iraqi units is the political reality of a Shi'ite-dominated government that sends Shi'ite soldiers, some of dubious affiliation, to operate in dangerous Sunni neighborhoods. Ghazaliya is calmer now because Sunnis are putting their faith in the U.S. military, a force destined to leave as soon as it possibly can. When the Americans are gone, however, the mistrust between Iraqis will remain...
...Dari's change of heart on al-Qaeda is not necessarily good news for the Bush Administration. The Sunni cleric remains an implacable foe of the U.S. occupation, and of the Shi'ite-led Iraqi government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. He is dismissive of the "surge" in Baghdad, insisting that no solution to Iraq's problems is possible while American troops remain - and rejects as "insincere and meaningless" al-Maliki's efforts to reach out to the Sunnis...
...senior cleric's attitude toward al-Qaeda has changed, al-Dari says he has not softened his view of the U.S. presence in Iraq. "The occupation cannot continue," he says. "As long as the Americans are in Iraq, there will be violence." Like other Sunni leaders - and some Shi'ite ones - he wants the Bush Administration to set a timetable for a withdrawal...
...Dari also remains inflexible in his hatred of the al-Maliki government, which he accuses of "serving foreign masters" - a reference to the close ties of leading Shi'ite politicians to Iran. The loathing is mutual. Top government leaders, from President Jalal Talabani on down, have described al-Dari as an inciter of ethnic and sectarian violence. Last November, the Interior Ministry issued a warrant for his arrest. Ever since, he has divided his time between several Arab states, monitoring al-Maliki's actions from afar. Not even the Prime Minister's recent decision to allow many former Baath Party...