U.S. obeys order to abandon checkpoints

[DodgeFB]

What will this mean?


U.S. obeys order to abandon checkpoints

By SINAN SALAHEDDIN, Associated Press Writer

U.S. troops on Tuesday abandoned checkpoints around the Shiite militia stronghold of Sadr City on orders from Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the latest in a series of moves by the Iraqi leader to assert his authority with the U.S. administration.

The U.S. military announced the deaths of two soldiers in fighting in the Baghdad area on Monday, one from small arms fire, the other from a roadside bomb. Those brought the number of troops killed in Iraq this month to 103.

U.S. forces disappeared from the checkpoints within hours of the order to remove the around-the-clock barriers by 5:00 p.m. (1400 GMT), setting off celebrations among civilians and armed men gathered on the edge of the sprawling slum that is under the control of the Mahdi Army militia run by radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Iraqi troops loaded coils of barbed wire and red traffic cones onto pickup trucks, while small groups of men and children danced in circles chanting slogans praising al-Sadr, who earlier Tuesday had ordered the area closed to the Iraqi government until U.S. troops lifted what he called their "siege" of the neighborhood.

Extra checkpoints were set up last week as U.S. troops launched an intensive search for a missing soldier, who has yet to be found.

Shortly after leaving Sadr city, U.S. troops dismantled other checkpoints in the downtown Karradah neighborhood where the soldier had been abducted, loading barbed wire coils onto their Stryker armored vehicles.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061031/ap_ ... &printer=1

[Luke]

This is fine with me, if Iraq can do their part in locating this soldier. The more they can control their own country without our help, the better off both parties are. I really hate al-Sadr's and his followers' tones though.

[DodgeFB]

[quote=Luke]
This is fine with me, if Iraq can do their part in locating this soldier. The more they can control their own country without our help, the better off both parties are. I really hate al-Sadr's and his followers' tones though.
[/quote]
Well I think our guys that he told to get out should just keep on going until they land in the good old USA. He wants to run things, so let him. This little episode has me more than ready to let them sink or swim.

[Lad]

Yep, same here. The sooner the Iraqi government starts dictating to us the sooner we will be out. Hopefully soon the Iraqi army will be capable enough to control Iraq from these wicked men and our boys can go home.