Iraq Report: Battle in Baghdad, Sadr's Protest, Anbar

Iraqi security forces and U.S. troops battled insurgents in what is described as the largest fight inside the capital since the start of the Baghdad Security Plan. Omar, an Iraqi blogger in Baghdad who writes at Iraq the Model, stated the fighting began in the central districts of al-Fadh [of Fadhil] and Sheik Omar, and later spread to Bab al-Mua'dam and al-Kasra. Omar describes the fighting as heavy, and U.S. Apache attack helicopters, and F-18 and F-16 fighters were called in to provide close air support. "During the morning more US and Iraqi forces rushed into the scene and cordoned the area while two f-18 fighter jets and some Apache gunships patrolled above. The fighter jets withdrew after a while," notes Omar, but "the fighting became more intense and at around 11 am several explosions were heard in the area but the cause remained unknown." The skirmishes occurred throughout the day, and appear to have ended around 5pm local time.

"Police said a total of 10 people had been killed and 13 wounded in the fighting," Reuters reported. "Gunmen hit two helicopters with ground fire but both returned to base, the U.S. military said." Multinational Forces Iraq stated the battle began after Iraqi Army and Coalition forces were conducting "a routine cordon and search operation in Rusafa," where they came under fire. Three insurgents were killed in the fighting, along with four Iraqi soldiers.

Far south of Baghdad, a controversy rages over the size and import of yesterday's protests in Najaf by the followers of Muqtada al Sadr and his Mahdi Army. The media counts for the number of protesters range from tens of thousands all the way up to 600,000. As we noted in yesterday's report on the fighting in Diwaniyah, the U.S. military has estimated the numbers at between five and seven thousand, based on aerial photographs. Multinational Forces Iraq is sticking to these numbers.

Note: The photograph associated with this post, which was attached to the MNF-Iraq press release, was taken of a protest of Baghdad in 2005, not a protest by Sadr's Mahdi Army on Monday as the MNF-Iraq caption initially claimed. After an inquiry with MNF-Iraq, the response from the webmaster was as follows: "Our press desk made a mistake. The photo is being removed from the site to avoid further confusion." We are following up with MNF-Iraq for further information, and have requested aerial photographs of the Najaf demonstration.

Multinational Forces Iraq has a vested interest in monitoring the size of protests such as this. The Coalition and Iraqi government are not only concerned about following the activities of the Sadr's Mahdi Army, particularly in the strategic city of Najaf and while a major operation is underway in Diwaniyah, but they must also provide security for an event such as this. By closely monitoring the size of the crowds, the Iraqi and U.S. military can adjust the security posture.

But Sadr achieved the desired political effect, regardless of the size of the protest. The media accounts have characterized the protest as a successful showing of Sadr's power, despite the small showing by Sadr supporters, or his failure to appear in public. Sadr has maintained the myth that he is currently in Iraq, however he fled to Iran on or before February 15, when the Baghdad Security Plan was announced. Sadr has not been seen in public in Iraq since then.