There are mixed signals coming out of Baghdad:
(CNN) — Iraqi troops, security forces and tanks surged into Baghdad on Sunday as political turmoil deepened over who should lead the country.
Military tanks were deployed to several neighborhoods in central Baghdad, two Iraqi police officials told CNN. The officials said there are also significantly more troops in Baghdad’s Green Zone, the secure area where many government buildings, the military headquarters and the U.S. Embassy are located.
The stepped-up troop presence comes as Iraqi forces battle Islamist militants in northern Iraq, and just after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki accused Fuad Masum, Iraq’s newly elected President, of violating the country’s constitution by extending the deadline for Iraq’s biggest political coalitions to nominate a candidate for prime minister.
The precise reason for the growing number of troops in the Iraqi capital was unclear. But CNN military analyst retired Lt. Col. Rick Francona described it as an “ominous” development that signals the Iraqi Prime Minister doesn’t want to hand over power.
No one knows for sure what’s going on. Possibilities that occur to me are
- There’s a military coup in the offing.
- Maliki is concerned about being thrown out of power.
- He’s concerned that the battle for Baghdad with ISIS is about to begin.
From what I’ve been reading, and seeing updates on is that there is a possibility of a coup in the wings. However, nothing is certain except that Maliki doesn’t seem to want to go quietly into the night.
Why shouldn’t there be a coup against Maliki? He’s losing the country.
Maliki should go, Ice, as he’s been the root of the problems in Iraq, in how he reverted back to a sectarian type of government once US oversight ad supervision was gone.
… reverted back to a sectarian type of government once US oversight and supervision was gone.
Anybody but an idiot would have known this would be the result, and therefore, a permanent presence would be required.
Anybody but an idiot would have known that knocking off Gaddafi would result in Libya being a failed state and terrorist haven, and therefore, he should have been aided in wiping out the rebels.
Anybody but an idiot would have known that knocking off Assad would result in the terrorists gaining huge chunks of land, and therefore, Assad should have been aided in slaughtering the rebels.
The same people whose previous meddling has caused the present mess want to meddle once again, but this time they assure us they will be right. I guess the other times were just test runs.
How about the US provide transportation for the Iranian Greens? If they could take on the Iranian Mullahs, a few ISIS thugs should be nothing to them.
jan, the roots of the problem well predate anyone living today. Maliki is a symptom of recent responses to old problems, that is all.