U.S. hands over Sadr City, with hope
The U.S. Army's plan was to fly us to Sadr City by helicopter. A sandstorm changed things. An armored bus would be our means of transportation to witness the hand over of an American Forward Operating Base, or FOB, as the military calls it.
But this was just not any FOB. This was FOB Hope. I'm sure everyone had a good laugh when the base was named.
FOB Hope, however, is no laughing matter. This transfer of power would have been unimaginable only two years ago; and it is still hard to believe - American forces giving Iraq's new army control of Sadr City - Baghdad's volatile Shiite slum.
The U.S. is accelerating the hand over of its bases to the Iraqi Army - 33 so far - but U.S. commanders concede that Sadr City will be a tough test.
Colonel Thomas Vail, the U.S. commander in this region of central Iraq told me, "Iraqi security forces are in charge and we've got to be very delicate about how we go about that right now."
It is a delicate balance because Sadr City is the stronghold of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. His Shiite militia, the Mehdi Army, was fighting fierce battles against U.S. forces less than two years ago. Now, it is suspected of carrying out many of the sectarian attacks in Baghdad.
As we passed through Sadr City, there were no waves - only glares. Americans, the U.S. supported Iraqi Army, and Sunni Muslims, are not welcome here.
One of al-Sadr's field commanders said his men are in charge, not the new Iraqi Army. "The Mehdi Army does not obey any authority except its leadership", he told me.
At the base hand over ceremony, the Iraqi Army tried to demonstrate its power and commitment with an impressive martial arts demonstration and a parade featuring its new Humvees. The new Iraqi Colonel in charge said only his forces have legitimate authority here.
A clash is inevitable between these two opposing forces. A lot is at stake with the outcome, not the least of which is the timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.
Militias and sectarian violence will test this new U.S. trained Iraqi Army. If they fail, U.S. commanders concede that hope for a phased U.S. withdrawal will be only that - hope.
Honeymoon over
EMAIL THIS
advertisement
Slide Show
- Life beyond the violence
Suicide attacks and murders due to sectarian conflict continue around Iraq. See how residents live their lives amid the attacks.
Read the Nightly News blog
