A Line In The Dirt

by pessimist

The Siege of the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf has been causing a feeling in me that I've heard all of this before. In reading a book on Lyndon Johnson's early political career, I found the doppelganger: the Siege of the Alamo.

In many ways, there are close parallels between these two events. The defenders were highly motivated and heavily outgunned. Their leaders were religious men with strong principles, their followers loyal unto death. And the ultimate result was not in doubt, though each defender knew that there was a greater victory to be gained through sacrificial defeat.

So, in an attempt to demonstrate that the actions of the Iraqis in opposition to the Occupation are completely understandable to any American who knows the history of this country, I present my interpretation of the parallels between the Sieges of the Alamo and of the Imam Ali Mosque.

February 23, 1836: The Mexican Army of Operations under Santa Anna reaches San Antonio. Texan forces retreat inside the Alamo.

NAJAF, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. forces Friday resumed offensive operations outside the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf in an effort to pressure fighters loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who are holed up in the mosque complex. "We've started to resume offensive operations in and around the outskirts of the holy shrine complex," Lt. Col. Myles Miyamasu of the U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division near Najaf told CNN Friday. "Our mission is to maintain the pressure against the Medhi Army and it looks like we're doing a pretty good job of it."

February 23, 1836: Colonel Travis sends two soldiers to Gonzales with request for assistance. General's Santa Anna requests for them to surrender. Travis responds by firing an 18 pound cannon back at them.

Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi issued a "final call" Thursday to al-Sadr to disarm his followers and pull them from the shrine. "We have extended the olive branch, the olive branch is still extended, he can take advantage of the olive branch," Allawi said. "We want a peaceful solution." Thousands of militants loyal to al-Sadr are inside the mosque, and Iraqi officials have threatened to "liberate" the mosque in a military offensive if the forces don't leave. Defying that ultimatum, al-Sadr sent a telephone text message vowing to seek "martyrdom or victory," and his jubilant followers inside the shrine danced and chanted.

February 24, 1836: Travis Takes over command from the ill Bowie. The Alamo begins to be attacked. Travis writes his "To The People of Texas & all Americans in the world" letter.

In a sermon read on his behalf in the nearby Kufa Mosque, al-Sadr called on all Muslims to rise up if the shrine is attacked. "I call on the Arab and Islamic people: If you see the dome of the holy Imam Ali Shrine shelled, don't be lax in resisting the occupier in your countries," he said.

February 25, 1836: Cannon attack continues. Mexican soldiers are stationed across the river about 300 yards from Alamo. Travis sends an appeal to Sam Houston. "Give me help, oh my Country".

U.S. AC-130 and helicopter gunships had struck repeatedly overnight and early on Friday, sending orange flashes and white sparks into the sky. Booming explosions shook houses far from the battle zone. The attacks had eased at daybreak.

Secretary-General Amr Moussa received news of artillery "shelling and renewed clashes (in Najaf) with great uneasiness," Arab League spokesman Hossam Zaki said in a statement faxed to The Associated Press. An al-Sadr representative in Baghdad, Abdel-Hadi al-Darraji, warned that fighting in Najaf could 'ignite a revolution all over Iraq.' "We welcome any initiative to stop the bloodbath in Najaf," he told Al-Arabiya television. "Otherwise the battle will move to Baghdad, Amarah, Basra and anywhere in Iraq."

February 26, 1836: Texans make an attack on La Villita, burning several homes which have afforded the Mexican cover.

Homes and businesses around the compound were heavily damaged. The streets were empty, and Sadeq described the area as a virtual ghost town. "Everything outside of the mosque seems to be totaled," CNN Producer Kianne Sadeq said.

February 27, 1836: Attack continues. The defenders are now fighting more than just Mexican Soldiers, now they are fighting the 39 degree tempature. Travis sends Bonham to request help from Colonel Fannin in Goliad.

An aide to al-Sadr early Friday told the Arabic-language network Al-Jazeera that the cleric has asked his supporters to hand over the keys to the shrine to the highest Shiite authorities in Iraq, a gesture symbolically putting the mosque in the hands of religious authorities. There was no indication that such a handover had actually taken place.

February 28, 1836: There is little food and drink in The Alamo. New Mexican soldiers placed about 800 yards to north of The Alamo.

Mohammed Jassim, a father of eight, shook his head as he stood on a Najaf street corner, gunfire crackling overhead and tank shells rocking the ground. "I really don't believe any news anymore," he said. "We have heard it all before from both sides. We are not living like humans."

February 29, 1836: The temperature finally rises to 55 degrees. Santa Anna moves his troops closer.

U.S. Marine Capt. Carrie Batson said U.S. warplanes had been "clearing Muqtada militia positions" east of the revered Imam Ali Shrine on Thursday night, when at least 30 explosions shook the Old City. Before dawn Friday, U.S. forces also fired precision-guided bombs at militiamen who were firing mortars at U.S. troops in the neighboring cemetery and Old City, Batson said.

March 1, 1836: 32 brave soldiers come from Gonzales to help defend The Alamo.

U.S. forces also battled al-Sadr's supporters in a Baghdad slum, where militants said five fighters and five civilians were killed. Also, late Thursday, an American warplane bombed targets in the Sunni city of Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad. Insurgents fired back mortars toward a U.S. base as calls of "God is Great" and Quranic verses blared from the loudspeakers of Fallujah's mosques.

March 2, 1836: Texas declares its at a convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos. They do this unknowing that men are currently defending The Alamo.

The violence in the holy city between the insurgents and a combined U.S.-Iraqi force has angered many in Iraq's Shiite majority and proven a major challenge to Allawi's fledgling interim government as it tries to build credibility and prove it is not a U.S. puppet. Any raid to oust militants from the Imam Ali shrine — especially one that damaged the holy site — could spark a far larger Shiite uprising.

March 3, 1836: James Bonham returns, but was unable to retain reinforcements. Attack continues. Travis sends a letter, his final recorded letter.

In a letter shown by the Arab television station Al-Arabiya, al-Sadr said he would not disband his Al Mahdi Army.

March 4, 1836: Mexicans move their soldiers about 200 yards from the North wall of The Alamo. General Santa Anna plans how he will take over The Alamo.

The U.S. and Iraqi forces have "a full range of options," including storming the mosque, Miyamasu said, but he couldn't confirm if or when that would happen. "I really can't get into the exact timeline, but what I can tell you is that we are continuing to do planning and preparation for continuous offensive operations to get Mehdi militias destroyed, to capture Muqtada al-Sadr and to turn this holy shrine back to the hands of the Iraqi people," Miyamasu said.

March 5, 1836: Colonel Travis assembles men in plaza of Alamo and tells them there is no hope of help. He draws line on ground with sword to be crossed by all who will stand and fight. All cross line but Moses Rose, who escapes over the wall.

The Mehdi Army had been entrenched inside the shrine and the narrow alleyways leading to it, along with an adjoining ancient cemetery. Witnesses had said there were several hundred fighters inside the sprawling mosque complex. Journalists were greeted by the Mehdi Army with cheers and chants of 'We will not stand down!' "They are all very proud to be in here and seem to be very adamant about staying in here," CNN reporter Kianne Sadeq said. "They aren't going anywhere until the fighting is over."

March 6, 1836: At 1:00 am 1,400 Mexican soldiers move towards The Alamo. At 5:00 am Santa Anna gives signal : Mexican bugler declares full raid, four groups of the Mexican army move towards The Alamo. Texans meet the invaders with desperate, intense fighting. Heavy Mexican casualties (nearly 600 killed or wounded) were a result of the battle. 6:30 am : Last firing over. The Alamo has fallen... In the words of General Vincente Filisola, "... by grapeshot, musketshot and the bayonet, they were all killed at last."

The ending to this modern story has yet to play out, but with the stubbornness displayed by the antagonists of the Alamo, both al Sadr and Coalition forces seem bent on a similar conclusion. Sadr has said that he seeks martyrdom. But is all of this worth it? No, it's not. Neither was the Alamo defense in one person's opinion. His reasoning is adaptable to the Imam Ali Mosque standoff.

What was the military importance of the Alamo?

It didn't have any. That's right, none. Its significance was symbolic and psychological. Santa Anna's goals were political, not military, and his actions did not always contain military logic.

The significance of the Imam Ali Mosque is equally symbolic and psychological. The opposition to the Occupation is faith-based, and by taking the Mosque, the Interim Government officials would be demonstrating their dominance over religious authorities. The political goal is to get Islamic submission to civil authority, something that won't be given. If anything, continuing on this path will only stiffen resistance, just as Santa Anna's actions stiffened Texan resolve.

What was Santa Anna's strategy?

He sought to polish his image as savior of Mexico. Demonizing the Texans as threats to the Mexican way of life and then eradicating them looked like the ticket. (The names of other dictators who have used a similar approach may immediately spring to mind.) Rushing his army directly to San Antonio was a symbolic act, since that town was the farthest outpost of the Mexican culture he was supposed to be protecting. Being a dictator, no one was going to point out that his move was pointless, since the rebellion was farther east, near the coast. Arriving in Bexar, he found the Alamo held by the rebels, and decided that crushing it would cause the "sensation" he was after -- terror among the Texans, presumably. His main fear seemed to be that Travis would surrender before an attack could be mounted.

Just like Santa Anna, George Warmonger Bu$h acts like a dictator. He likes to brag about having rid Iraq of Saddam Hussein, which no one will dispute that in itself was a good thing. But now he expects the Iraqi people to bend to his will, something that Iraqis have done for decades under the Ba'athist rule and aren't too keen on continuing just because there is a new sheriff in town. Najaf, like Fallujah before it, is intended to be the example that the US, acting through its puppet Iraqi government, is now in charge, and that any resistance is futile - Iraq will be assimilated. But like Santa Anna, Bu$h'$ main oposition is also farther east - in Afghanistan, where the remnants of Al Qaeda and the Taliban are each reportedly regrouping. They aren't going to be very impressed if US forces destroy the Imam Ali Mosque - in fact, I'm sure that they pray for it, for this will garner them support from the Islamic world like they can only dream of right now. They have nothing to lose, and everything to gain, by US destruction of the Imam Ali Mosque.

What did the defense of the Alamo accomplish?

In military terms, little except the weakening of the Mexican army. It did not delay the Mexicans while the Texans organized further forces -- at the time, the only other Texan force was with Fannin. Houston's force did not start forming until after the Alamo fell. Since Santa Anna was still bringing his army up, the siege may not even have extended the time the Mexican army spent in San Antonio. Psychologically, it was devastating, galvanizing the Texans, demonstrating that their lives were on the line -- that the time had come to take a stand. And it showed future generations how one does so, when necessary.

So it is with the Seige of Najaf. US forces aren't being particularly affected more than anywhere else, so it isn't quite as dire as it was for Santa Anna, but the weakening of the image of US forces in the eyes of Iraqis IS every bit as devastating. Unlike the Texans, who were few in number and without modern communications, Iraqis are much greater in number and may well be reinforcing those holding the Mosque. In addition, it is reasonable to assume that help is arriving from other nations as well, considering that the Mosque is a major shrine. Would not Jews flock to Jerusalem to protect the Wailing Wall, or Catholics to defend St. Peter's? So it is with the Mosque.

The psychological effects of the Imam Ali Mosque seige cannot be discounted, either. The US attack on Iraq was initially tabbed as an attack upon Islam, and many US actions have done nothing to dispell this belief. Muslim perceptions are not those of Westerners, so what appears innocuous to us appears extremely threatening to Muslims, and this only makes them feel backed into a corner. Their response equals that of Texans after the news of the Alamo got around. Just like the Texans, they banded together and faced us.

There isn't going to be another Battle of San Jacinto, but there is no guaranty that Iraq won't yet win the final battle - and throw the US out of their country. They have plenty of motivation - they are mad as hell, and they aren't going to take it anymore. As one source said about Texans:

The real lesson of the Alamo has little to do with Texans and Mexicans. It has nothing to do with American expansionism or historical nit-picking. The point of the Alamo is simply this: Sometimes it’s necessary to draw a line in the dirt. Sometimes it’s necessary to stand your ground, look the other side in the eye and say, "No, Not anymore." And sometimes it’s even necessary to die for principle.

Muqtada al-Sadr, and the men who follow him, have drawn that line. They are standing their ground, looking us in the eye, and saying No, not anymore. They are willing to die for their principles.

Sources:
77 dead in Najaf mosque battle
Crisis In Najaf Eases But...
Al-Sadr Tells Militia to Turn Over Shrine
Sadr Militia Still Controls Iraq Shrine -Witnesses
Timeline of the Siege of the Alamo
Lesson of Alamo still relevant today

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