a new barrage of attacks on U.S. and Iraqi forces
No, the Iraqi Army, with US assistance, were the attackers, not the attacked.
led to open fighting between Shiite militias.
If you consider the Iraqi army a Shiite militia, perhaps.
The assault on the Mahdi army has also eroded Maliki's credibility with a large segment of the public that fears the militia that Sadr leads but also sees him as a legitimate champion of their interests.
OTOH, Maliki has the support of a wide range of political allies to replace the Sadrists.
In Iraq, where perceived power is a key to real authority, the Mahdi army is seen to have stopped Maliki's Basra assault cold then melted away when Sadr ordered them to lay down their arms.
"is seen" - So perception trumps reality, is the argument there. Course, it is only the reporters opinion that that is the perception in Iraq.
In those terms, in the past few weeks, Maliki has cemented his reputation among his enemies as a tool of the Americans."
Ah yes, the leftist view that anyone allied with America is illegitimate. Actually, Maliki began this offensive on his own. It wasn't an American initiative. |
