Thursday, March 27, 2008

The Iraq Mess - Pipeline Explosion & General Strike Threatens Stability Of The Country

And so in further proof that the “surge” is working, Muqtada al-Sadr, the cleric who has titular command of the Mahdi Army, a Shiite militia, has called for a general strike. From the looks of Baghdad and other major cities it’s working.

The strike is in response to the Iraqi government demand that all fighting cease in 3 days. That has fallen on deaf ears as fighting rages in Baghdad proper and the Green Zone is target to continued shelling from militia forces. Fears are running high that a strike would close hospitals and other basic services and bring life in the country to a standstill.

Add to this problem the explosion this morning at one of the two major pipelines for Iraq oil in the Zubair area west of Basra. Despite the huge interruption the blast caused, the Iraqi Oil Ministry insists that it will have no effect on oil production and shipments.

If you believe that one you have been inhaling too many fumes from the burning infrastructure in Iraq. But hey, the surge worked!

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