Webloggin » Liquid Land Mines, Qassam Rockets, and Sadr City

While reading the news and blogs this beautiful morning, my heart was stirred by personal stories of families touched by wars and violence. In Israel, Michael at Oleh Musings shares reports of rockets and missiles flying. He shares a Ynet news article about an explosion occurred at a rocket launcher in the northern Gaza Strip.

It’s not like the pali terrorist groups weren’t trying to shoot up Israel; they’ve fired off at least 3 rockets so far this morning:

Palestinians launched a third Qassam rocket at the western Negev.

That’s all news, but what really got my attention was the personal experiences of Michael and his family. Here’s a taste of his article, but you should go to his place and read it all.

Now, I live up north, so I don’t know exactly how the residents of Sderot and the surrounding areas are putting up with all of this, but I got a taste of it last summer. It’s disconcerting, to say the least…

…One minute you’re folding the laundry, and then you hear the explosions echoing off the hills, and you’re wondering what got hit. You go to pick up the kids from daycare and preschool, and you find them in the bomb shelters. You put on the news, but of course the anchors are talking faster than your Hebrew can follow; you catch the words “katyushot” and “Majd al-Krum,” and you know that those booms you heard were within a couple kilometers of your apartment…

And that was just the first day. There were several times that we actually heard the rockets streak past overhead, and hit just a few hundred meters away.

Those of us who live in the United States cannot truly understand what’s going on in Israel, or Iraq, all we can do is support her, pray for her, and share with the rest of the world what’s going on. Israel has problems now, her leadership (or lack of leadership), the reputation of her military, IDF, and missing soldiers that still need to be returned home.

Stormwarning reports on liquid land mines and liquid bombs and the possibility of al-Qaeda using them. Here’s a portion:

We may have a serious problem here. Liquid explosives have been on the radar screen for a few months, ever since the British terror attack plot was “intercepted” back in August of 2006. The concern then was that a liquid bomb could be smuggled onto an airplane…causing passengers to leave their bottled water behind. Now, it comes to light that a material called Astrolight might actually be used as a “liquid landmine.” Astrolight is a two-part explosive (a 2:1 ratio of ammonium nitrate and hydrazine) that has a low volatility, extending its persistence. [snip]

… Poured directly onto a dirt road, the stuff soaks into the first few inches of earth, giving tremendous upheaval power. Although the land mine was fired remotely in the test, a pressure-sensitive fuse can be used that will react to the weight of a passing vehicle. Other virtues of the liquid are that it remains detonable for up to four days, even in the rain, but eventually deactivates itself, making dangerous minefield clearance unnecessary. Once applied, it cannot be detected by standard mine-detection equipment. Liquid Land Mine can be simply poured from canteen like containers says its maker, Explosives Corporation of America, or sprayed from trucks or helicopters.

Very scary stuff, whether used by al-Qaeda in Iraq, or terrorists inside the United States, Britain, or perhaps Israel. Go read Stormwarning’s entire article here.

Sadr City, or the slum as some refer to it, may be key in finding some kind of peace in Iraq. My friend Ortho at Baudrillard’s Bastard mentioned this article at Asia Times in his Sunday Reading List. Here’s the highlights:

This is the 24-square-kilometer theater where a great part of Iraq’s future is already being played out; a vital element in US President George W Bush’s surge; the place Pentagon generals dream of smashing into submission; one of the largest and arguably most notorious slums in the world: Sadr (formerly Saddam) City.

Sadr City is also, along with Gaza and the West Bank, the theater of the already evolving 21st-century war, pitting the high-tech Western haves against the slum-dwelling Third World have-nots. [snip]

Hussein al-Motery is the general administrator of the municipality of Sadr City, the man ultimately responsible for the well-being of almost 3 million people, more than half the population of Baghdad. [snip]

Sadr City is a giant dormitory. Hussein says, “Baghdad would become a ghost city if people from Sadr City would not go there to work.” He adds, “Sadr City has become the symbol of stability for Baghdad and Iraq. Many merchants in Baghdad come from Sadr City.” Community life is indeed stable; this is a peaceful, harmonious dormitory.

Security in his district is provided by tribal guards, and not by Muqtada’s Mehdi Army. Everyone in the district seems to agree Sadr City is the most peaceful place in Iraq. The heavy turbulence is another story - it involves deadly clashes between the Mehdi Army against the Americans, Sunni guerrillas or al-Qaeda in Iraq. (more)

The article is very anti-American, but if you can get past that there is much valuable information that could be used in working toward peace in Iraq. Sunni and Shia both live in the area, it is relatively peaceful, the people like Muqtada al-Sadr, even the ones who are not Sadrist. We are talking about 3 million people.

Were the Pentagon tempted to wall Sadr City, the feeling is that nearly 3 million people would instantly be up in arms. There have been rumors that Muqtada has directed the Mehdi Army to attack any trucks in Baghdad transporting concrete blocks. But no one in Sadr City confirms it. [snip]

The key problem is Shi’ite-Shi’ite violence. The Badr Organization, the armed wing of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq and effectively trained by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, is now clashing with the Mehdi Army in Sadr City itself. (more)

It will take a greater mind than mine to figure out the answer. One thing strikes me though. We may not like al-Sadr, but we cannot over look him and his following. Early in this war he could have, and should have, been dealt with. The situation is different now.

Like Hamas and Hezbollah, Sadr is real and must be factored into any plan for peace. (Don’t get me wrong, I do not suggest we should negotiate with Hamas or Hezbollah, they are terrorist organizations.) I’m not sure Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is up to the challenge.

[Discuss this article with Debbie Hamilton over at the Right Truth...]