Basra seige unleashes storm of protest. posted by Richard Seymour

As the seige of Basra creates a humanitarian crisis, with 51 killed in the fighting, thousands of protestors have protested the seige in Baghdad. The Sadrists are now, according to Patrick Cockburn, the biggest political movement in Iraq. Missing Links cites Kuwaiti news agency reports that Iraqi soldiers are refusing to fight, suggesting there's no enthusiasm among the 'Iraqi forces' for this battle, and the Times confirms that there are widespread reports of defections from the police to the militias and ... clear signs that the operation could backfire badly. But then, I suspect the 'Iraqi forces' know the whole system is a farce and most of them are trying to get something out of it for their families. Agence-France Press says the revolt is spreading. All of which suggests that Maliki and his backers have drastically miscalculated.

Labels: basra, iraq, iraqi resistance, sadr