Iraq

(NYTimes) Al Sadr's plan is working. He pulled his people off the street, and now the US is fighting the Sunnis for him.

General Caldwell’s comments — combined with praise for the cooperation of Shiite officials and negotiators for the Mahdi Army, the Shiite militia loyal to the cleric Moktada al-Sadr — seemed to suggest that the military was returning to its former strategy of concentrating on Sunni extremists. That would represent a change from American officials’ comments in the past few months that identified Shiite militias as Iraq’s largest threat.

Reading this story about the reduction in certain types of violence in Baghdad (mostly the type that Sadr's people were carrying out,) I find myself wondering just how sustainable this "lull" is.

The underlying problem is still looking unresolved. The Shia are showing little to no interest in sharing power with the Sunni minority. (Take a look at the benchmarks that still aren't being met.) That "balance of power" is the fuel for the Sunni insurgency.

(Reuters) "Three U.S. soldiers died as a result of injuries sustained during combat operations in Diyala province on Wednesday, the U.S. military said. Nine soldiers were wounded." (Not a headline, but an entry in the Factbox.)

(AFP) "One of Iraq's most powerful Shiite leaders, Abdel Aziz Hakim, on Wednesday demanded that the government have a say in security operations being conducted by US forces." (Positioning himself against a "puppet" Maliki?)

And, Two bits from this Asia Times article on the simmering tensions between Turkey, Iran, and the PKK.

A PKK claim of US support for "guerilla operations" in Iran. (Interesting that they've created a splinter group so the US can support operations against Iran but not Turkey.)

The PJAK, which PKK officials said enjoys limited US support, has conducted several guerrilla operations in the predominantly Kurdish areas of western Iran. The fighting has left dozens of casualties on both sides.

And, I don't know the credibility of this, but we're pretty much in "the spring."

PKK leaders are expecting a Turkish military invasion in the spring. They expect the attack to have limited scope in terms of "the time and area of operation".

Later: (AP) "The top official in Baghdad's main Shiite district of Sadr City was seriously wounded Thursday when gunmen ambushed his convoy in eastern Baghdad, killing two of his bodyguards, according to police and a local official.

Rahim al-Darraji has been involved in negotiations with U.S. and Iraqi government officials seeking to persuade the Shiite militias.... to pull their fighters off the streets."