Violence persists in Basra
Fighting between Iraqi soldiers and the Mahdi army's Shia militiamen has continued in the city of Basra since a campaign was undertaken on Tuesday to rid the city of "lawless gangs." After three days of small battles which have left 50 dead and over 300 injured, the violence has reached a stalemate, and the militia have shown no signs of relenting. According to a figure released by the British military, of the 30,000 Iraqi troops deployed to Basra to stabilise the city, nearly 16,000 of those troops were from the city itself, whose police force is notorious for being heavily infiltrated by the militia.
While peace talks are said to be underway, attacks have continued to further trouble relations between Madhi leader Moqtada al-Sadr and the Iraqi government. Followers of al-Sadr staged an anti-government protest in Baghdad on Thursday, accusing Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of being an agent of American interests and explicitly targeting Mahdi fighters. In response to the government offensives, al-Sadr has threatened to launch a full-scale civil revolt if the attacks do not cease.
Basra has posed one of the first major tests for the Iraqi army and for al-Maliki, who now must demonstrate that Iraqis are capable of maintaining control without foreign intervention. Keep up to date with the latest developments and sharpest perspectives in a world of strife and struggle.
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The toD verdict: While the Iraqi government is certainly charged with the task of demonstrating their ability to govern a war-torn nation, perhaps launching a military offensive against a highly popular and highly polarising religious figure is not the best means of doing so. Although Basra has long been a hotbed of Shia militarism - prior to the current fighting, turf wars often erupted between rival Shia factions - the current campaign reflects the government's tendency to strong-arm their way into politics, rather than embrace a more delicate and potentially more unifying method. So long as Iraq continues to approach political problems through aggressive militaristic means, nothing less than perpetual war can be expected.
Colombia seizes uranium from rebel group
The Colombian government has announced that it has seized over 66 pounds of uranium from the FARC, a left-wing rebel group that has been engaged in a forty-year guerrilla war against the government. Information about the uranium was uncovered earlier this month in a FARC leader's computer files, and the stash was found in a rural stronghold south of Bogotá on Wednesday. The discovery has further poisoned relations between Colombia and Venezuela, who Colombia claims provided financial support to the rebel organisation. This is the first time radioactive materials have been linked to the FARC.
Afghan army swells, Taliban plans new campaign
Following extended prompting from NATO to increase troop numbers, officials in Kabul are now reporting that the Afghan National Army is nearing 70,000 soldiers, the largest number since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. In response to the growth, Taliban spokesman Qari Yusef Ahmadi has announced that a new offensive will be launched in the upcoming days, titled Operation Unforgettable Lesson. According to Ahmadi, the campaign will target military bases, and particularly those housing foreign troops, who will remain in the country to train and support the Afghan army. Up until this year, desertion rates were so high that the army had trouble maintaining a corps of 30,000 troops.
African Union and Comoros capture rebel island
Following seven years of rebel control, soldiers from the African Union and the archipelago nation of Comoros reclaimed Anjouan, one of three small islands that constitute Comoros. Attacking at dawn, 1,350 African troops landed on the island with the intent of toppling renegade leader Col. Mohamed Bacar, who fled Anjouan dressed as a woman. Analysts have argued that the offense was undertaken to offset the failures of larger peacekeeping missions in Somalia and Sudan.
Mugabe cracks down before election
In one of the final campaign rallies before Saturday's election, Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe has asserted that opposition candidates will not win the presidency, and warned against protests following the election's outcome. The statement comes in the wake of a recent surge in support for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, and its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai. Mugabe has recently introduced measures to place police forces at voting stations, and analysts suspect he plans on rigging the election out.
North Korea expels South Korean officials
In response to South Korea's stern approach towards North Korea's nuclear policy, North Korea has expelled all South Korean government officials stationed within its borders. In an indication of the South's new stance towards Pyongyang, newly elected South Koran president Lee Myung-bak has declared that all relations will now be contingent on the North's progress in abandoning its nuclear weapons. The 11 expelled officials were based in Kaesong, a factory complex in the south of North Korea.