More on the Mosque Raid

Via Martini Republic, we learn the U.S. military was in fact involved in the raid on a mosque in northeastern Baghdad on Monday:

Sorry ’bout that:

Iraqi and American special forces who attacked an insurgent headquarters in Baghdad were not aware that their target contained a mosque until after the battle, America’s most senior soldier said yesterday.

General Peter Pace, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, was responding to 48 hours of unremitting criticism over the controversial raid, which Iraqi radicals claim resulted in the deaths of 21 unarmed worshippers and an imam.

The admission that US and Iraqi forces had entered a compound housing a religious site will stoke Arab fury.

That news by itself doesn't come as much of a surprise. Apparently also the question of what the troops were after has been clarified:

Gen Pace said that the operation had been led by Iraqi special forces, although it included American special forces seeking to track down a Shia terrorist base where kidnap victims were held.

The characterization as "terrorists" is a bit unusual. Thus far that term has been reserved to apply largely the jihadists and suicide bombers we suspect are being lead by Zarqawi. It appears in this instance the resistance came from members of the Mahdi army, with which the U.S. military has tangled before. The use of the term may merely be journalistc preference.

It appears then that this raid was part of an effort to crack down on the militias carrying out kidnappings and and killings of Sunnis. It would be interesting to know how large of an effort this is. Although what exactly happened in the raid is unclear, I would be suspicious of claims being made by members of al-Sadr's militia, as clearly they would benefit from a propaganda defeat for the U.S. and the Iraqi security forces. Clearly they'd prefer to carry out their "work" unfettered by the national government or U.S. military.