Hammorabi: "The Iraqi police captured at least 500 men from the Sadr militia. To avoid bloodshed inside the shrine the IP negotiate with hundreds of fighters still besieged inside to save their life in return to lay their arms and surrender. Although the IP is in control of some parts around the Imam Ali Shrine%2C the complete control of the shrine is still to be completed.%0D%0A%0D%0AMuqtada Sadr fate is not clear. He is most likely escaped last night after the announcement of handover of the keys to Sistani men or he is still among the besieged. "

THE WAR IN CONTEXT%3A%3A Iraq%2C the War on Terrorism%2C and the Middle East Conflict - in Critical Perspective: "%27Death after death%2C blood after blood%27%0D%0ABy Luke Harding inside the Imam Ali shrine%2C Najaf%2C The Guardian%2C August 21%2C 2004%0D%0A%0D%0AInside the pockmarked entrance of Najaf%27s Imam Ali shrine%2C there were no police to be seen yesterday afternoon."

The Green Side: "On August 9th%2C the insurgents in the city kidnapped the two Iraqi National Guard battalion commanders within the city subsequently killing at least one of them. It is another clear example of the savagery of the enemy here. "

Boots on the Ground: "During the Field exercise%2C at about mid-way though. A handful of us from each platoon got picked to go to a range where they were demonstrating new weaponry for the Army. The new XM-8 was there which will replace the m4%2Fm16%2C the new .50 caliber machine gun that is going to replace the old was there%2C and a bunch of other really cool stuff. I wish we could have all this really cool shit now"

From Ann Arbor to Beirut: "True to form%2C James even managed to thank his kidnappers and crack a bit of a smile. I rather suspect it was his idea to go on TV shirtless. "

BAGHDAD DWELLER: "Iraqi soccer team are angry%3B Bush using us for his re-election ads %0D%0AFiled under%3A News %97 ladybird @ 07%3A43%3A49 pm %0D%0AIraqi midfielder Salih Sadir %0D%0A%93Iraq as a team does not want Mr. Bush to use us for the presidential campaign He can find another way to advertise himself.%94%0D%0AIraqi soccer coach Adnan Hamad%0D%0A%93My problems are not with the American people%2CThey are with what America has done in Iraq%3A destroy everything. The American army has killed so many people in Iraq. What is freedom when I go to the %5Bnational%5D stadium and there are shootings on the road%3F%94"

IRAQ THE MODEL: "BREAKING NEWS %3A%0D%0AIP enters Imam Ali shrine peacefully and Sadr is still not found.%0D%0ANews are still foggy but Al-Hurra TV reported that 400 members of Mehdi militia were arrested inside the shrine."

Hammorabi: "Fierce fighting continued over night and this morning around the Shrine of Imam Ali. The US%2FIraqi forces plan is to free the Shrine which may be today by special Iraqi commandos forces from air and ground."

Mustang in Iraq: "Sometimes I think I%27m caught in an episode of MASH. We work a lot here. My days run 16 hours %28exercise plus work%29 7 days a week. So we try to have a little fun. "

Yahoo%21 News - Iran warns of preemptive strike to prevent attack on nuclear sites: "Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani warned that Iran might launch a preemptive strike against US forces in the region to prevent an attack on its nuclear facilities. "

Iraq at a glance: "I remember many players shown on the TV many months ago talking about what Uday Saddam was doing and the types of torture they endured and that they are free now and not afraid of anyone%85and can represent their country."

IRAQ THE MODEL: "In another step towards a democratic Iraq%3B yesterday the national assembly successfully held the elections to form the Iraqi national council in an atmosphere that is entirely new for Iraqis. For the first time we saw free discussions with the absence of fear."

SI.com - Writers - Wahl%3A Iraqi soccer players upset about Bush campaign ads using team - Thursday August 19%2C 2004 4%3A59PM

IRAQ THE MODEL: "I really think that the Iraqi Football Federation should give the 2nd player %28Ahmed Manajid%29 at least some advice on to how much he can express his own opinions in public%2C as he is representing Iraq right now."

Kurdo%27s World: "These videos %28very graphic worse than the Al-Qaeda movies%29 are part of the nightmare which lasted 35 years."

Kurdo%27s World: "Kurds are very tired with these two war-lord parties."

Iraqi American: "If you are following Muqtada%92s story like I am you would know that according to all the news and most of the press out there he accepted the government position by disarming his thugs and leave the Shrine. However%2C if you read what Al-Jazeera wrote earlier on their website%2C you would think that Muqtada did not accept the deal."

Hammorabi: "Muqtada Sadr thugs received orders from Iran to end their stand as part of new tactic.%0D%0AMS militia are surrounded and hopelessly fighting for their death or surrender."

American Soldier: "Muqtada to quit his Mosque seige. %0D%0A%2FRant on%0D%0A%0D%0AFrom the great scholar Private Snuffy %22Fucking pussy%21%22 Here is a guy who has been talking shit since the beginning of this war. He hasn%27t taken into consideration his own %28Iraqi Shite-Sunni-Kurds%29people. Other than the ones that will die for his stupid ass%21 Even then he is selfish in his actions. So we%27ve lost like 30 some odd people this month alone mostly due to his bullshit stance. Now we are just going to accept his withdrawal. I say we watch his little convoy out of there and capture him%21 I mean did we all forget there is a warrant out for his ass%3F%3F We are just going to let him go back to his city Al Sadr and let him talk more smack until the next siege%21"

Sgt. Missick%2C A Line In The Sand: "I%92ll be honest%2C the events of today have left the world remarkably shaken in terms of stability. The events to the north of us in Najaf%2C the electoral re-establishment of Venezuelan President Chavez%2C and this article on potential terrorists entering America through the border region in Arizona leave me shaken as to what the future over the next 5 years holds."

Boots on the Ground: "Today%2C this morning we are going to the field till Thursday. We will doing CQB %28Close Quarter Battle%29 site live fire. A few buildings we enter using live ammo and enemy targets that pop up that we have to shoot. "

Today in Iraq: "%93An Iraqi police officer physically assaulted and threatened to kill a Kansas City Star photojournalist Monday after she took photos of officers beating a suspected pickpocket. Allison Long%2C 31%2C on rotation in Iraq for Knight Ridder newspapers%2C was walking inside a police cordon near the Baghdad Convention Center%2C where more than 1%2C000 Iraqi delegates met to pick a national assembly this week. Long and two Iraqi colleagues saw Iraqi policemen%2C guns drawn%2C running after a man just before 9 a.m.%94"

Kurdo%27s World: "Kurdish fans in Athens fly a Kurdistan flag%2C linked to an Iraqi flag during Iraq%27s olympic win over Costa Rica. A lot of Kurdistan flags were seen in the Greek stadium during the Iraq Costa Rica clash%2C a scence that the Dubai-based Al-Sharqiya Iraqi televsion tried to avoid showing."

IRAQ THE MODEL: "I came back from my last duty visit to the beautiful small town that lies on the bank of the Euphrates south of Samawa and I saw that the town was evolving. I came back with lots of observation%3B the town is changing but the people are practicing the change without feeling it%3B they still carry a lot of sorrow from the dark recent past."

MEMRI TV: "Dr. Tayeb Tizini Exactly%2C according to American and European documents%2C including the investigation of President Bush and his aides about 9%2F11%2C I%27d like to say that 9%2F11 was an American action. %0D%0AThese Americans began to understand that the new order must be marketed by a great event that would create new dangers for the world. 9%2F11 was for this purpose%2C in order to emphasize the need of dividing the world in two. This is what this order strives for%3A The so-called terrorists on one side and the so-called democrats on the other."

Iraq at a glance: "...YES we did it again%3B the Iraqi Soccer Olympic Team won the game against Costa Rica 2-0 ..WELL DONE YOU HEROS%85%0D%0AThere are playing FREELY..and that%92s important..no torture or jails are waiting for them%2C the monster has gone."

Background: One of the Saddam-sons hat athletes punished if they lost. (og)

A Family in Baghdad: "Baghdad is charged with an atmosphere of tension and anxiety...%0D%0AConfrontations against Al-Mahdi Army%2C led by the coalition forces and the interim Iraqi Government%2C with the new Iraqi Army and Police force joining in the Military Operations%2C which is something to add up to the anger and displeasure of the people%2C presenting more ambiguity%2C and card mix-up."

Iraq %26 Iraqi%60s: "Nowadays I can find the true news in local radio and local news and instruction which I need to follow and old Iraqi songs from our folklore which we start to forget about%2C now I started to remember the wards and the tunes. Even the folklore had to die by order from our old regime."

Mustang in Iraq%3A Me%2C politically...: "I support our troops absolutely. Would be a little odd for me to be here and not feel that way. I am a fierce patriot and I think what we are doing here is right. Growing up I had ambitions of joining the military myself%2C being from a Marine Corps family. But my father had academic plans for me%2C and so I went that route. Now I am 2 years too old to be accepted. Such is life."

THE WAR IN CONTEXT%3A%3A Iraq%2C the War on Terrorism%2C and the Middle East Conflict - in Critical Perspective: "The method in Moqtada Sadr%27s madness can best be seen in the list of people lining up to mediate an end to the standoff in Najaf. At last count%2C they included not only a delegation from the national conference in Baghdad convened to appoint an interim legislature%2C but also UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and even Pope John Paul II. "

Hammorabi: "Iraqi National Assembly delegates near failure%21%0D%0A%0D%0AThe delegates %288%29 who arrived by helicopter from Baghdad to Najaf have failed to meet Muqtada Sadr. He refused to meet them and they went back to the governor building may be to try again later so as to give him the last chance before the final storm."

Bloomberg.com%3A U.S.: "Mortar fire and gunshots were heard in Najaf a day after an Iraqi delegation failed to meet Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on a peace mission aimed at ending an uprising by the cleric%27s militia%2C Agence France-Presse said. "

iraqi wannabe%3A justin alexander%92s blog: " I%27ve just heard some shocking news from a friend out there that the Americans are taking hostage the families of Al-Mahdi army fighters in order to force them to submit - this is a shocking development which I doubt will be reported in any the mainstream media%2C particularly as journalists have been expelled from Najaf by the Interim Iraqi government. "

Live From Dallas: "I hope you still remember Ma%92rwa Ahteemi. The Iraqi girl who suffered a spinal injury in November 2003. Her injury was the result of an artillery shell that exploded on the edge of her family%92s farm outside Baghdad. She was brought to America for treatment with the help of two American soldiers."

Hammorabi: "The Iraqi National Assembly meeting decided to send 100 delegates among them to Najaf for peaceful solution to get MS out of Imam Ali shrine to his house or somewhere else%21 They also suggest that his militia would be converted into a political group after disarming them
(...)
Sadr militia shield themselves in the shrine of Imam Ali and the houses in the old city while more human shields arrive to the city%21%0D%0A%0D%0AThe US tanks seen about 500 meters away from the Shrine and the fighting continued on-off with several shells hit Sadr militia groups North to the Shrine."

Institute for War and Peace Reporting: "Mahdi Army Draws Supporters %0D%0AFallujah fighters provide military training for Sadrist forces.%0D%0ABy Aqil Jabbar in Najaf and Kufa %28ICR No. 78%2C 10-Aug-04%29%0D%0AOn the road leading to Najaf%2C six black-clad members of the Mahdi Army scrambled to set up three light-gauge mortars along the edge of a palm grove.%0D%0AAiming at a walled compound they said was a US military base%2C they fired off 11 rounds at leisure %96 until two American helicopters appeared and sent them scrambling for cover.%0D%0AThis type of hit-and-run attack is typical of fighting in the streets%2C suburbs%2C and cemeteries of Najaf between US troops and Iraqi paramilitaries on one side%2C and the Mahdi Army militia of Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr on the other.%0D%0ABut this time there was a key difference %96 the presence of Col Rifaat al-Janabi.%0D%0ADressed in the uniform of Saddam Hussein%27s Special Republican Guards%2C Janabi had come from his home in Fallujah to show Najaf%92s poorly-trained Mahdi militiamen how to use their weapons."

Today in Iraq: "News blackout imposed on fighting in Najaf. %93The Iraqi authorities ordered foreign journalists to leave Najaf yesterday%2C threatening to arrest or even shoot reporters as US marines and Iraqi government forces resumed the fight against Shia militants. Iraqi police told the journalists to leave because of a supposed threat by insurgents to bomb their hotel. The intimidation - including shots apparently fired by police at the hotel - came as Iyad Allawi%2C the interim prime minister%2C hailed the birth of democracy in Iraq at the opening of a national conference in Baghdad.%94"

Kurdo%27s World: "A Norwegian newspaper has published a shocking report on the new Iraqi police torturing prisoners in Najaf and other areas of Iraq."

Dagger JAG: "We?re still working to finish up our business with the Iraqi courts. After visiting all of them we are now figuring out how we can best help out and what kinds of projects they need. My real hope is that by the time we leave there is nothing else they are asking the coalition forces to provide. They need to become self-sufficient and budget the money the Iraqi government is providing them to take care of their own needs. As long as we remain in Iraq will be 'on the hook' to help improve the security situation but it will be nice when the judges no longer have any other excuses as to why they can?t do their jobs efficiently and effectively."

IRAQ THE MODEL: "30 minutes ago, Hussain Al-Sadr, a moderate cleric and at the same time Muqtada?s cousin attended the Iraqi National Conference after he news that he visited Najaf yesterday. The conference is having large coverage by Iraqi and Arab media (except poor Al Jazeera as they have no reporter on the ground)

In his words, Hussain stressed that there?s no place for armed militias in the new Iraq but there?s always a chance for everyone to participate in the political process.

He called Muqtada and his men to drop their weapons, leave the holy shrine and disband the Mehdi Army adding that guarantees can be provided by the government that there will be no consequences or penalties waiting for them after they evacuate the shrine.

He called the attendants to send a delegation of at least a hundred members to head to Najaf and tell Muqtada about this proposal and escort him out of the shrine.
There was immediately a vote and the majority agreed on this initiative, so it?s expected that the following steps will take steps in a short time, probably later today."

CFR: "Why has the Iraqi insurgency flared up again?
It was never completely stamped out, experts say, and Sunni and Shiite insurgents have used anti-U.S. sentiment and discontent with the Iraqi Interim Government (IIG) to attract adherents and provoke unrest."

Kurdo's World: "A Swiss company will open a private university in the city of Sulaimani. The Kurdistan government (PUK region) has agreed to help in building the university which will be called Dwa Rozh (The Future). Teaching will be based on the French style."

IRAQ THE MODEL: "Lately there where some demonstrations supporting Sadr in the south of Iraq and it was seen by some of the media as an evidence of the wide support for Sadr among Iraqis. What made the picture even darker was the attitude of some of the IP and ING officers who declared that they protest against what happening in Najaf and that they support Sadr. Then came the news that the government is negotiating with Sadr which was interpreted as a sign of weakness and a submission to the pressure of the people."

Occupation Watch: "At the present time, battles are raging across Iraq, particularly in Najaf and Sadr City, an eastern Baghdadi neighborhood. Allegedly the cleric al-Sadr's Mahdi army is responsible for the widespread uprisings and the occupying forces' response has been severe -- massive attacks by U.S. planes, helicopter gunships, and hand-to-hand combat have led to the deaths and injuries of hundreds of Iraqis and a number of occupying troops. "

Iraqi American: "Yesterday I was listening to Radio Sawa from Iraq and I listened to the daily press conference of the interior minister Mr. Shaalan. He said something that is interesting and that is ?there is a conspiracy against the Iraqi people?. He did not say the Iraqi government, he said the people of Iraq is been targeted by other countries. He did not specify the others nor did he elute to whom he was talking about. However, one other minister was doing that and earlier Mr. AlNaqeeb the defense minister said Iran should stop supporting the terrorist."

Today in Iraq: "Over the past month the insurgents have brought civilian trucking into central Iraq to a virtual standstill. "

Boots on the Ground: "Peace talks again, unsurprisingly fails. This time, Muqtada al-Sadr's top negotiator said the deal had almost been reached until interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi personally struck it down. He said it was a conspiracy to commit a big massacre.

The US Military inside Najaf lined up to get ready to assault the Militia again, but then Allawi called it off."

LETTERS FROM BAGHDAD: " im guessing bush will have enough votes in certain states to win the electoral vote.i bet kerry will win the popular vote,maybe by a million(remember gore won by almost a half million votes)."

Healing Iraq: "I'am afraid to admit that most of my misgivings on the outcome of the
recent military confontation with Sadr have turned out to be
well-founded. The interim Iraqi government suddenly softened its
approach, in large due to internal divisions, and now appears to be in
a weaker position than that of Sadr."

THE MESOPOTAMIAN: "One begins to realize in these days the profound wisdom of the Holy Koran where it is repeatedly emphasized that hypocrites are the worst kind of people. Muqtada Al Sadr claims that he is fighting against ?Tyranny? and ?Occupation?; but his main weapon consists in ?terrorizing? all those his followers can reach who are mainly the poor ordinary people and government employees who have the misfortune to live in the slums and poor areas infested by his men. Kidnapping, intimidation, torture and murder are his favorite weapons. "