Battles in Iraq are necessary for peace

Published 12:00 am Saturday, April 17, 2004

The renewed violence in Iraq this week is indeed frightening &045;&045; whether it is the atrocities committed on the bodies of four American contractors or the battles across the country now occupied by U.S. forces.

But much of the violence has happened since U.S. officials on Monday declared Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr an outlaw wanted for murder.

Analysts predicted the current violence after the arrest warrant was announced. But they also predicted that silencing him would eventually help quiet the violence he has been inciting and lead to a peaceful transition when the U.S. hands over power to the Iraqis, still scheduled for June 30.

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On Thursday, military officials said coalition forces are gaining ground in their battles against al-Sadr’s militia. We have lost more U.S. Marines, but we are winning the fight.

Older clerics and mainstream Shiite leaders do not agree with al-Sadr’s stance. The efforts now to shut down his militia will likely pay off in the long run.

Americans have little tolerance for the casualties of war, and indeed we grieve for the families of those soldiers who have been lost.

But we must keep in perspective what is really happening in Iraq and the victories that have been made so far &045;&045; from winning battles to reopening schools and hospitals.

Critics of the war in Iraq say the U.S. has not presented an exit strategy. But disbanding the kind of militant extremist groups such as al-Sadr’s must be part of that strategy if we are to hand over the reins to a stable government.

The battles we are waging this week are certainly costly, but they are necessary in the long run.