US Pushed Sadr

U.S. makes the "fatal mistake" in Iraq

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The date it all started to go wrong for U.S. in Iraq:

Sunday, March 28, 2004
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This day U.S. Army bans Iraqi newspaper.
All hell breaks loose in Iraq.
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Baghdad - U.S. shuts down a newspaper that is a mouthpiece for Shia cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, accusing it of publishing articles that incite violence against American troops. Mass protests seen across Baghdad. Demonstators condemn the U.S. marines for suppressing their freedom of speech. Recent publications against U.S. sparked concerns among Genrals who then closed the paper. Last week articles in Al-Hawza newspaper accused the U.S. administrator, Paul Bremer, of being like Saddam in persecuting Shias. The newspaper also contradicted U.S. military claims that a car bomb had killed 53 civilians. The paper said it was actually U.S. missiles that killed 53 Iraqis in Iskandariyah. These article upset the U.S. commanders and Paul Bremer. U.S. decided to move against the Shia publication.

The Editor of Al Hawza newspaper, Ali Yasseri, said "dozens of U.S. troops padlocked our offices and ordered the staff to leave the building. US Marines threatened to arrest us if we did not leave. They said our articles incite people against America."
Paul Bremer issued an order in 2003 that bans incitement to violence.
Editor of the newspaper accused Bremer of "following the steps of Saddam". Yasseri said this is a "violation of our rights". He blamed US for starting a fight with the Shias.
Hundreds of Shias gathered in Baghdad to protest against the ban. Americans had just given Iraqis a good excuse to oppose their forces.
Major escalations followed. Mehdi Army confronted the US Army. Iraq began to go badly for President Bush. For the next five years, Sadr's Mehdi Army took on the might of the US military. Before this incident Sadr and his Mehdi Army has not commited any act of violence against the US forces. Bush administration realised their mistake after four months, and tried to reopen the Sadr paper, but it was too late. Blood had been spilled. Armed resistence had begun. Mehdi Army now saw US forces as an enemy that needed to be fought. The rest is history of US defeat in Iraq.
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http://articles.latimes.com/2004/mar/29/world/fg-iraqpaper29
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2004/jul/19/iraqandthemedia.iraq
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3578183.stm
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