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Length: 3:40
WOLF BLITZER: We're learning important details about
a kidnapped American soldier in Iraq. Right now
officials are conducting an all-out search to try to
find him. And today we also learned his name Ahmed
Qusai al-Taie. He's 41 years old, a specialist in the
U.S. Army Reserves. Officials showed a picture of him
earlier today. Officials say the search includes both
military and political activities.
CNN's Michael Ware is in Baghdad. He's joining Paula
and me right now. Michael, what do we know? How is
this search coming? Because we suspect it's been
hampered somewhat by what the U.S. military is
allowed and not allowed to do in and around that area
called Sadr City.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, very much so,
Wolf. What we're seeing here is the intersection of
politics and military operations here. And we're
seeing a position where everyone is having to start
declaring their hand, so to speak. We're seeing
Muqtada al-Sadr protecting his power base and the
prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, though an American
partner, still is under the great influence of
Muqtada. So the military is trying to do things.
The most glaring example is seal off Sadr City, which
they achieved for over a week following what they
believe is the kidnap of this soldier. However, the
prime minister, according to his press release,
ordered them to lift those checkpoints or open ones
which were already in place.
ZAHN: You have spent some time, with the Mahdi Army.
What have you learned about their tactics, their
strategy, their goals?
WARE: Well, what this is really about is politics and
power. I mean this is about maneuvering for position.
And the leader of the Mahdi Army, Muqtada al-Sadr, is
in a key position to capitalize on what's going on
right now. And that's what we're seeing being played
out.
Now, the question is, who has this U.S. soldier? A
senior U.S. officer I spoke to said they had strong
intelligence that it was a Jaish al Mahdi, or Mahdi
Army faction from within the Sadr bloc. Now the real
issue is, is it mainstream or is this a rogue
element? I mean we have seen this situation emerge
here -- akin to the IRA, the Irish Republican Army,
and the Real IRA; a much more militant wing that is
disaffected with Muqtada because they don't believe
he's militant enough.
BLITZER: Michael, as you take a look at the overall
situation right now, give us the bottom line on this
day, five days before the U.S. election. Does it look
like the situation is improving a little bit or is it
status quo or getting worse?
WARE: Well, Wolf, we have a U.S. soldier missing in
whatever fashion. We see that the insurgent-- the
Sunni insurgent war continues with attacks and U.S.
casualties. We have seen the operation to secure
Baghdad, a massive undertaking, which has stalled
even by the military's own admission, not achieving
the results. There's some temporary lulls in
violence, but overall not affecting the dynamic. And
all the while, Sadr City, this Mahdi Army stronghold,
which American commanders made it very clear, that
even with negotiation they intended to enter, still
remains an almost no-go zone for U.S. forces except
for lightning raids -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Michael Ware, thanks very much. Michael Ware
reporting, Paula, for us from Baghdad. He's a very
courageous journalist.
ZAHN: He is. He has spent a lot of time embedded with
American troops as well. And we're very proud of the
work that he files for us.
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Length: 5:38
WOLF BLITZER: More now on
our top story in Iraq. A kidnapped American soldier
is missing, and an all-out search for him continues.
Today we learned his name as Ahmed Qusai al-Taie. An
official showed a picture of him.
Might followers of a rogue militia be involved in
this kidnapping? CNN's Michael Ware has more from
Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sadr
City is a sprawling slum. An estimated 2.5 million
people, almost half the population of Baghdad.
Controlled not by the Iraqi government or the U.S.
military, but by these men. They are the Mahdi Army,
followers of this man, Muqtada al-Sadr, a powerful
anti-American Shia cleric.
MUQTADA AL-SADR, SHIITE CLERIC (through translator):
Who is going to protect Iraq? America protect Iraq?
May God damn America.
WARE: His militia is a potent force. Brazen in this
propaganda videos, vocal in this demonstration
denouncing America, and discreet. Militiamen in
civilian clothes at Sadr City checkpoints, searching
for car bombs and Sunni insurgents.
U.S. military intelligence estimates the Mahdi Army
has as many as 7,000 fighters. It credits the militia
with at least 15 special forces companies, eight
intelligence companies, religious courts that
regularly order executions, and several punishment
committees -- units acting both as internal
investigators and anti-Sunni death squads.
And that's not all. Muqtada al-Sadr controls 30 seats
in parliament, four government ministries, and wields
considerable influence over Iraq's prime minister.
Opponents claim that has enabled the Mahdi Army to
hold America's whole mission in Iraq hostage,
politically and militarily, turning Sadr City into a
virtually no-go zone for American soldiers.
So how did Muqtada al-Sadr become so powerful? To
understand, for weeks, CNN has been visiting Sadr
City, where the Mahdi Army's control is absolute. At
a market, militiamen keep a watchful eye. And even
women say they are ready to fight the Americans.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We will not
accept our houses to be searched. The women will
attack them. We have weapons and we will kill them!
WARE: Something the Mahdi Army has proven it is
willing to do.
ABU MUHAMMED, MAHDI ARMY COMMANDER (through
translator): Freedom should be taken, not given. So
we will take it.
WARE: Abu Muhammed is a top Mahdi Army commander, who
insisted his face not be shown.
MUHAMMED (through translator): Who is going to let
himself negotiate in the name of this city and its
people when Sayid Muqtada has not met a single
American official all year.
WARE: No negotiation with the Americans. A popular
position here. But while the Mahdi Army is
formidable, it is not a monolith, with factions split
as hard-liners push for even more attacks against
U.S. forces.
On the street, unity, as the militia -- using
Lebanon's Hezbollah as a model -- delivers services,
overseeing government fuel ration cards at gas
stations, security, even signing for the deaf at
Friday prayers. And with the apparent capture of a
U.S. soldier, another parallel to Hezbollah. One
senior U.S. officer wonders if the kidnapping is an
attempt to echo the capture of two Israelis that
sparked July's war in Lebanon, an ominous suggestion,
given how Muqtada and his loyalists are flexing their
muscle in Sadr City and across Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WARE: And part of that flexing the muscle of the
Mahdi Army was the lifting of the blockade of Sadr
City. Despite this, the American military spokesman
in Iraq, Major General William Caldwell, vowed that
the hunt for the missing U.S. soldier will continue,
regardless. Nonetheless, he did concede that Muqtada
al-Sadr, the leader of this militia, had to be
accepted as part of the political process -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Michael, it's interesting you make this
connection, this comparison with Hezbollah in
Lebanon, because I've heard that from U.S. analysts
back in Washington, as well.
But what is the relationship between this militia and
Iran? We know the Iranians finance and support
Hezbollah, but what about the Mahdi militia?
WARE: Well, the Mahdi militia, according to U.S. and
British intelligence, is a major beneficiary of
Iranian support in a whole manner of ways. Iran is
essentially backing every horse in the race, so to
speak, here in Iraq. And Muqtada's militia is one of
them.
In particular, there's a point that U.S. military
intelligence and the Mahdi Army intelligence officers
both agree upon, and that is that some of these rogue
elements, these more militant factions that are
breaking away, are being picked up by Iran, funded
and used, as U.S. intelligence officers say, as
active operational units -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Michael, thanks very much.
It's very disturbing, Paula, what's going on over
there, because you do see parallels. Anyone who has
been to Lebanon, as Michael has been, as I've been,
you see parallels developing, very worrisome
developments.
ZAHN: And it's pretty easy for all of us to
understand why this war in Iraq is the number one
issue on voters' minds as they head to the polls next
week.