Iraq Rising

Somebody needs to take this fatboy out of his misery.

Sadr asks for a blood pledge of loyalty

"Moktada al-Sadr, the Iraqi Shiite cleric, on Friday called on his followers to sign in blood a pledge of loyalty to the Shiite saint after whom he named the Mahdi army, and to affirm their commitment to ridding Iraq of U.S. troops."

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"The pledge request also called on all Muslim believers "to work to liberate all the Islamic states in general, and Iraq especially, from the armies of darkness, by which I mean the occupation and colonization."

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"Only a few hundred people turned up Friday at Sadrist offices in Sadr City and Najaf to sign the covenant, as millions of Shiites were already heading by foot, car and minibus to the Shiite holy city of Karbala to celebrate the birthday of Muhammad al-Mahdi, a ninth-century saint and the last of 12 imams revered by Shiites."

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"It was during this holiday last year that Sadr's forces fought a turf war on the streets of Karbala, amid millions of Shiite pilgrims, drawing widespread criticism from the Shiite community and forcing them days later to declare a cease-fire."

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"The announcement by Sadr was dismissed by his political opponents as a sign of weakness. "It's just like the previous announcements," said a close aide of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki.

"One time he talks about peaceful resistance, and another time he says let's bring the weapons. This recent announcement is just an empty one. The Moktada al-Sadr issue is finished. (Emphasis mine)

Dust off the arrest warrant, folks. Put him on trial and send him to the gallows.

In the meantime, Iraqi armed forces take over areas which only days ago were patrolled by Georgians.

And, look what's flying over Iraqi skies.

Iraqi Air Force Graduates Largest Training Class to Date

"When Coalition forces stood up this school they worked with the Iraqis to set up goals they wanted to achieve within a certain amount of time,” said Dilda. “Some of the goals reached include the ability to run four training programs at the same time, having fully renovated facilities with the ability to house 500 students, and the availability of qualified Iraqi instructors to lead the courses. Today’s class represents the attainment of those goals in the BMT [basic military training] program."

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"This BMT class was led by Iraqi instructors, under the supervision of their USAF advisors. The trainees worked hard, getting up well before the sun to clean latrines, make beds and practice drills. Their days ended long after sunset. Lt. Saef Ali, a lead trainer/supervisor, has been working as a trainer for six months. He’s encouraged by the commitment of his trainees.

“These guys are not afraid of anything. They come to training and don’t let anyone stop them. “They want to serve their country,” he continued. “I feel proud to say I’m a lieutenant in the Iraqi Air Force."