The Mahdi Army Disarms

**Chode** · 06-06-2008, 02:20 PM

If your ordinance malfunctions, you're still "disarming" right? Or maybe the Mahdi Army's recent group hug with the Iraqi government wasn't totally sincere?

**sobeit** · 06-06-2008, 02:30 PM

its never going to be sincere.

yustr · 06-06-2008, 05:14 PM

What I took away from this article was: 1) if folks are building mobile rocket launchers - the Mahdi army is far from disbanded. and 2) This yet another attempt to tie Iran to the conflict and therefore justification for an attack on Tehran. Somebody please answer this question: why would Iran use English markings on their Chinese designed weapons?

**Drew1369** · 06-06-2008, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yustr

Somebody please answer this question: why would Iran use English markings on their Chinese designed weapons?

where did you get this from?

~~Wozer~~ · 06-07-2008, 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drew1369

where did you get this from?

follow the link given in the first post and view all the pictures...

my guess is that China is easily smart enough to realize that English is the most versatile and most widely used language so they put said language on their exports because that's cheaper than using a plethora of languages so that each market is covered...

**Drew1369** · 06-07-2008, 01:54 PM

I must have missed it on the pictures.

**Chode** · 06-09-2008, 07:53 PM

There are some shots where you can see 107mm rocket motors clearly labeled in English. I had a problem with this myself, and I emailed Roggio to ask him about it. His reply was that since these weapons were built for export by Iran, English was used for the labels because it is more commonly spoken than Farsi. He didn't offer any other examples or more info to back up his contention, so you can take it or leave it.

But, it's worth noting that Iran does indeed build several Katyusha rocket systems for export ( in several sizes), and this weapon is completely absent from the Western arsenal; so we aren't looking at some British or U.S. model. A hoax strikes me as ridiculously clumsy and unlikely.

So, what we can say about this report is that it provides some good evidence that Sadr's political star is in serious decline. The whole lob bomb system is a kludge. If Sadr still had substantial backing from the Iranians, the Mahdi Army would have real Katyusha's and not some cobbled-together piece of crap. Hezbollah certainly doesn't have a shortage of rockets to fire at the Israelis.

We should also recognize that the Mahdi Army's offensive operations are now much more targeted at U.S. forces than the Iraqi government, and you might just wonder about the "truce" in Sadr City which still leaves the Mahdi Army free to operate elsewhere.

Still there are some encouraging signs that the Iraqi Army has taken more responsibility for security, and that Iraqi's don't want to be an Iranian client state. In particular, there have been some pretty hot firefights recently where Iraqi troops have interdicted Iranian arms shipments within 50-60 miles of the border, and some reports that the Iraqis may have even engaged Iranian troops.

This isn't to say that Iran is the Great Satan, and direct U.S. military action against Iran seems unlikely, and undesirable, but it would be foolish to ignore Iran's regional ambitions. Don't forget that Iran is a major petroleum exporter, and that saber-rattling tends to translate into higher oil prices and more money in Iran's bank account.

06-06-2008, 02:20 PM	#1 (permalink)
Chode TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 784 OS: Windows XP Pro	The Mahdi Army Disarms If your ordinance malfunctions, you're still "disarming" right? Or maybe the Mahdi Army's recent group hug with the Iraqi government wasn't totally sincere? __________________ Sweet!

06-06-2008, 02:30 PM	#2 (permalink)
sobeit TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: NEAR Posts: 5,267 OS: windows/linux	Re: The Mahdi Army Disarms its never going to be sincere. __________________ Do not feed the trolls.

06-06-2008, 05:14 PM	#3 (permalink)
yustr Asst. Manager, The Conversation Pit Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Connecticut shore/California Desert Posts: 4,855 OS: PCLinuxOS, XP Pro My System	Re: The Mahdi Army Disarms What I took away from this article was: 1) if folks are building mobile rocket launchers - the Mahdi army is far from disbanded. and 2) This yet another attempt to tie Iran to the conflict and therefore justification for an attack on Tehran. Somebody please answer this question: why would Iran use English markings on their Chinese designed weapons? __________________ I didn't mean to say it. But I meant what I said. J. McMurtry In Vino Veritas

06-07-2008, 01:54 PM	#6 (permalink)
Drew1369 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Seattle, WA, USA Posts: 2,291 OS: Vista Business	Re: The Mahdi Army Disarms I must have missed it on the pictures. __________________ Marge: We wouldn't be in this trouble if you'd just paid the heating bill! Homer: I thought global warming would take care of it! Al Gore can't do anything right!

06-09-2008, 07:53 PM	#7 (permalink)
Chode TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 784 OS: Windows XP Pro	Re: The Mahdi Army Disarms There are some shots where you can see 107mm rocket motors clearly labeled in English. I had a problem with this myself, and I emailed Roggio to ask him about it. His reply was that since these weapons were built for export by Iran, English was used for the labels because it is more commonly spoken than Farsi. He didn't offer any other examples or more info to back up his contention, so you can take it or leave it. But, it's worth noting that Iran does indeed build several Katyusha rocket systems for export ( in several sizes), and this weapon is completely absent from the Western arsenal; so we aren't looking at some British or U.S. model. A hoax strikes me as ridiculously clumsy and unlikely. So, what we can say about this report is that it provides some good evidence that Sadr's political star is in serious decline. The whole lob bomb system is a kludge. If Sadr still had substantial backing from the Iranians, the Mahdi Army would have real Katyusha's and not some cobbled-together piece of crap. Hezbollah certainly doesn't have a shortage of rockets to fire at the Israelis. We should also recognize that the Mahdi Army's offensive operations are now much more targeted at U.S. forces than the Iraqi government, and you might just wonder about the "truce" in Sadr City which still leaves the Mahdi Army free to operate elsewhere. Still there are some encouraging signs that the Iraqi Army has taken more responsibility for security, and that Iraqi's don't want to be an Iranian client state. In particular, there have been some pretty hot firefights recently where Iraqi troops have interdicted Iranian arms shipments within 50-60 miles of the border, and some reports that the Iraqis may have even engaged Iranian troops. This isn't to say that Iran is the Great Satan, and direct U.S. military action against Iran seems unlikely, and undesirable, but it would be foolish to ignore Iran's regional ambitions. Don't forget that Iran is a major petroleum exporter, and that saber-rattling tends to translate into higher oil prices and more money in Iran's bank account. __________________ Sweet!