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Length: 3:52
WOLF BLITZER:
In Iraq, meanwhile, civilians were slaughtered today
at a mosque and a market. Dozens were killed in the
two bombings. Dozens more died at the hands of
gunmen. And the U.S. military says 13 insurgents were
killed in a coalition air strike targeting foreign
fighters.
Allied forces also struck back in the heart of
Baghdad where authorities now say a stunning raid
nabbed a senior Iraqi government official accused of
close ties to a radical militia. Joining us now from
Baghdad, our correspondent Michael Ware.
Michael, there's obviously evidence that various
Iraqi ministries, the police force, the army have
been infiltrated and now this arrest of this deputy
health minister. How big of a deal is this?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is a
significant move, Wolf. I mean it's long been known
by the U.S. military and the intelligence agencies
that members of the government, senior members of
these ministries, people in cabinet, have been
involved in a whole range of nefarious activities
from corruption to death squads.
Well, in terms of the politics here on the ground,
this has been a daring maneuver. Iraqi Special Forces
which, by and large, effectively answer only to the
American military, storm into the Ministry of Health
and take a deputy minister and drag him away. This
caused an enormous flap in parliament. And this is a
direct challenge to the political might of rebel
anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. This is a big
deal, Wolf.
BLITZER: Because supposedly this Deputy Health
Minister is aligned with this anti-American radical
Shiite cleric and his Mahdi Army. So what can Muqtada
al-Sadr do about this?
WARE: Well, not a great deal. I mean, this is one of
his politicians. This man is from essentially his
political party. But there's not a lot that they will
do immediately. I mean, they're not going to take to
the streets. There's not going to be armed
confrontations.
These guys are far too savvy to gamble that much so
openly on just one individual. We're seeing a series
of arrests of some of the key Mahdi Army people, both
the military and political figures. This is just
another one. They're really starting to try and put
the squeeze on Muqtada.
And note, Wolf, that the U.S. military is by and
large doing this on its own. It's driving this, I
think because it's not getting the help it needs from
the Iraqi government. Remember, the prime minister is
in power because of Muqtada and his Mahdi Army.
BLITZER: Well, if you look down the road the next few
weeks, months, who is going to win this battle? It's
effectively, as you've painted, a battle between
Muqtada al-Sadr and his Shiite army on the one hand
and the U.S. on the other.
WARE: Well, at this stage you'd have to say that, you
know, all the odds are in Muqtada's favor. I mean
possession is nine-tenths of the law. I mean, he's
the one who holds the momentum on the streets. It's
his large block within parliament that was kingmaker
that put Maliki into power, the Iraqi prime minister.
They still hold much sway. Sadr City, the true
stronghold here in the capital of the Mahdi Army
militia, home to almost half of the city's population
of more than five million, has yet to be really
confronted by the U.S. military. The military says we
can access all parts of the city.
Yes, they can storm in and storm out, guns blazing.
But the U.S. military cannot stay in Sadr City. So
right now, Muqtada and his factions definitely have
the upper hand.
BLITZER: Michael Ware, our reporter in Baghdad.
Michael, thanks.
WARE: Thank you, Wolf.