By — PBS News Hour PBS News Hour Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/middle_east-jan-june08-basra_03-25 Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Fighting Rages for Control of Oil-Hub Basra Nation Mar 25, 2008 3:30 PM EDT Rival factions of Iraq’s Shiite majority and criminal gangs are competing for control of the southern oil hub, considered the center of the national economy. Fighting began at dawn as Iraqi troops and police launched a major crackdown on the armed groups. Police and hospital officials reported that at least 22 people had been killed and 58 wounded in the clashes, The Associated Press reported. Unrest appeared to threaten to spread to other Iraq cities as well. The Sadr City neighborhood in Baghdad — a hub of power for al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army — was cordoned off by Iraqi troops as the Basra fighting raged, The New York Times reported. Sadr warned in a statement that he would launch protests and a nationwide strike if attacks against members of his movement and “poor people” are not halted. “We demand that religious and political leaders intervene to stop the attacks on poor people. We call on all Iraqis to launch protests across all the provinces. If the government does not respect these demands, the second step will be general civil disobedience in Baghdad and the Iraqi provinces.” The cleric in August ordered his militia to observe a ceasefire following bloody fighting in the shrine city of Karbala blamed on his fighters, which were involved in two rebellions against U.S. forces in 2004. But al-Sadr’s allies have grown increasingly angry over raids and detentions against them by U.S. and Iraqi forces, who insist the crackdown only affects rogue elements loyal to Iran. The cleric’s headquarters in Najaf ordered field commanders with his Mahdi Army militia to go on maximum alert and prepare “to strike the occupiers” – a term used to describe U.S. forces – and their Iraqi allies, a militia officer told the AP. The U.S. military says the seven-month-old ceasefire with the Mahdi Army is one of the main factors contributing to a 60 percent drop in violence in Iraq since last June, according to Reuters. On Monday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki traveled to Basra with his top security advisers to review operations. “Basra is subjected to unjust attacks and many parties from inside and outside are taking part in this. The attacks target the security and stability of the city,” Maliki said, according to the AP. The city has since become the scene of a bitter turf war between the Mahdi Army, the Badr organization allied to the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council of powerful politician Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, and the smaller Shiite party, Fadhila, ahead of provincial elections in October. Criminal gangs are also vying for control of lucrative oil-smuggling routes. The power struggle has been marked by assassinations and kidnappings. The city’s police chief has escaped a number of attempts on his life. As part of the operation against the militias dubbed “Charge of the Knights,” authorities imposed an indefinite 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in Basra and the central-southern Shiite cities of Kut, Samawa, Nasiriyah and Hilla. Security in Basra had declined well before the British handed over responsibility for the region to Iraqi forces on Dec. 16. British troops remained at their base at the airport outside Basra and were not involved in the ground fighting Tuesday, according to the British Ministry of Defense. After touring Basra on Monday, Maliki vowed his government would restore order, saying the city was experiencing a “brutal campaign” by internal and external groups targeting “innocent men and women.” “This is accompanied by the smuggling of oil, weapons and drugs … Basra has become a city where civilians cannot even secure their lives and property,” Maliki said in a statement. Basra housewife Um Hussein told Agence France-Presse the crackdown caught residents unaware. “It is a difficult situation. Not many shops or grocery stores are open since the curfew and since the fighting began. We have not stored household items at all. I hope the fighting ends quickly.” We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — PBS News Hour PBS News Hour
Rival factions of Iraq’s Shiite majority and criminal gangs are competing for control of the southern oil hub, considered the center of the national economy. Fighting began at dawn as Iraqi troops and police launched a major crackdown on the armed groups. Police and hospital officials reported that at least 22 people had been killed and 58 wounded in the clashes, The Associated Press reported. Unrest appeared to threaten to spread to other Iraq cities as well. The Sadr City neighborhood in Baghdad — a hub of power for al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army — was cordoned off by Iraqi troops as the Basra fighting raged, The New York Times reported. Sadr warned in a statement that he would launch protests and a nationwide strike if attacks against members of his movement and “poor people” are not halted. “We demand that religious and political leaders intervene to stop the attacks on poor people. We call on all Iraqis to launch protests across all the provinces. If the government does not respect these demands, the second step will be general civil disobedience in Baghdad and the Iraqi provinces.” The cleric in August ordered his militia to observe a ceasefire following bloody fighting in the shrine city of Karbala blamed on his fighters, which were involved in two rebellions against U.S. forces in 2004. But al-Sadr’s allies have grown increasingly angry over raids and detentions against them by U.S. and Iraqi forces, who insist the crackdown only affects rogue elements loyal to Iran. The cleric’s headquarters in Najaf ordered field commanders with his Mahdi Army militia to go on maximum alert and prepare “to strike the occupiers” – a term used to describe U.S. forces – and their Iraqi allies, a militia officer told the AP. The U.S. military says the seven-month-old ceasefire with the Mahdi Army is one of the main factors contributing to a 60 percent drop in violence in Iraq since last June, according to Reuters. On Monday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki traveled to Basra with his top security advisers to review operations. “Basra is subjected to unjust attacks and many parties from inside and outside are taking part in this. The attacks target the security and stability of the city,” Maliki said, according to the AP. The city has since become the scene of a bitter turf war between the Mahdi Army, the Badr organization allied to the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council of powerful politician Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, and the smaller Shiite party, Fadhila, ahead of provincial elections in October. Criminal gangs are also vying for control of lucrative oil-smuggling routes. The power struggle has been marked by assassinations and kidnappings. The city’s police chief has escaped a number of attempts on his life. As part of the operation against the militias dubbed “Charge of the Knights,” authorities imposed an indefinite 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in Basra and the central-southern Shiite cities of Kut, Samawa, Nasiriyah and Hilla. Security in Basra had declined well before the British handed over responsibility for the region to Iraqi forces on Dec. 16. British troops remained at their base at the airport outside Basra and were not involved in the ground fighting Tuesday, according to the British Ministry of Defense. After touring Basra on Monday, Maliki vowed his government would restore order, saying the city was experiencing a “brutal campaign” by internal and external groups targeting “innocent men and women.” “This is accompanied by the smuggling of oil, weapons and drugs … Basra has become a city where civilians cannot even secure their lives and property,” Maliki said in a statement. Basra housewife Um Hussein told Agence France-Presse the crackdown caught residents unaware. “It is a difficult situation. Not many shops or grocery stores are open since the curfew and since the fighting began. We have not stored household items at all. I hope the fighting ends quickly.” We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now