It Takes a (Burnt) Village

"Almost anyone who has worked with the Iraqi Army will tell you that there is very little chance of the soldiers in the 6th, 8th, or 9th IA Divisions (the current IA divisions in and around Baghdad) taking on the Mahdi Militia.

However, the Kurds are a completely different story.

An Iraqi general, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose details of the plan, said a mainly Kurdish force would be sent into the Sadr City slum in northeast Baghdad, which serves as headquarters of the Mahdi Army.

The general said Kurds, who are Sunni but not Arab, were being used against the Shiite militia because soldiers from other Iraqi units were likely to refuse to fight fellow Shiites. An estimated 80% of Iraq's army is Shiite."

4 Mile Creek