news from Baghdad

From Healing Iraq:

The same situation occured in both Adhamiya and Al-Khadhraa'. In Adhamiya, armed groups in black crossed the river in boats from neighbouring Kadhimiya and took over the Nu'man hospital.

In Khadhraa', a combined force of Interior ministry forces and men dressed in black are surrounding 2 mosques with several families inside, threatening to burn them down on the occupants. Baghdad TV (the Islamic party's channel) is updating on the situation through telephone calls from inside the mosque. The families are crying for outside assistance.

Other bits from here and there:
An armed group in 10 vehicles with no number plates entered the Al-Iskan Al-Sha'bi district in Dora, and attempted to enter mosque, but was turned back by the residents. Eyewitnesses claim that as many as 40 bodies and 5 burnt vehicles are still in the area. 3 attackers were also killed in Dora when they attempted to enter the Al-Kubaisi mosque.

Another group dressed in black in one Daewoo and two Opel vehicles passed the Interior ministry forces' checkpoint at Abu Dshir square, south of Dora, with no resistance and entered the Yassin mosque with explosives in tin containers. The keeper was killed and the mosque blown up.

From the Truth about Iraqis blog:

Meanwhile, curfew extended for a second day, but that's a crock of shit, because Sadrists and Badrists are roaming free despite the curfew. I wonder if the curfew is to ensure freedom of movement for them.

Both of these confirm something that the Times was reporting yesterday, namely that rather than being kept off the streets, the Sadrist militia is mobilizing and appears to be at the sharp end of revenge attacks. These in turn seem to be facilitated by interior ministry commandoes, ie by re-badged members of the Badr corps.

Martial law doesn’t look like an attempt to prevent civil war. In Baghdad at least, it looks like an initial deployment by the Shi’ite side. Resistance seems to be coming at street level, from mosque guards and “neighbourhood watch” formations in Sunni areas.

Never mind. Let's look on the bright side.