Moqtada al Sadr and his followers in Iraq are 'thirsty for Americans' blood'

For the first time in years, the Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr and his militia are unleashing fiery anti-American rhetoric and threatening to attack U.S. troops.

But top U.S. military officials have downplayed his remarks, saying that for now there’s no cause for concern.

Sadr rose to prominence when his Mahdi Army battled U.S. troops after the 2003 invasion. He has quietly tolerated the comparatively small U.S. military force there now supporting the war on Islamic State extremists. But the powerful cleric became confrontational again after Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced plans on July 11 to send an additional 560 U.S. troops to Iraq, bringing the total to more than 4,600.
"They are a target for us," Sadr said in a post on his official website on July 17.

A few days later, an official spokesman for Sadr’s militia, Alaa Abboud, echoed the threat.

“We are thirsty for Americans’ blood,” Abboud told a prominent Iraqi television news channel.

Any attacks by Sadr's militia would fundamentally change the Pentagon’s view of its mission to defeat the Sunni-led Islamic State group, also known as ISIS or ISIL. If U.S. forces were faced with a violent enemy inside Shiite-controlled territory, where many American troops are based, the heightened risk could prompt senior commanders to rethink their strategy or bring some troops home.
Army Col. Chris Garver, a Defense Department spokesman in Baghdad, acknowledged Sadr's tonal shift. But that’s all, for now, he said.

“We haven't seen anything other than the rhetoric. ... We haven't seen anything physically in terms of upticks of threats against an American or any coalition" members, Garver told reporters earlier this week.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Sadr's shift is worrying, but troops in Iraq are well protected.

"Anytime we have people threatening U.S. forces, that is a concern. But we feel confident in the security measures we've put in place," Cook said Friday.
Sadr extended his threats to include British troops after British defense minister Michael Fallon’s July 20 announcement that the United Kingdom would double the number of troops deployed to Iraq to 500.

The comments from Sadr’s camp may be an attempt to draw political support from fellow Iraqis, many of whom oppose the U.S. military presence there, said Joel Wing, an Iraq analyst who publishes the blog Musings on Iraq.

“Sadr has been pushing Iraqi nationalism in his current political battles and making the comments about the U.S. being targets is part of that,” Wing told Military Times recently. “Overall, think it was just a political comment to score some points rather than a real threat”.
Sadr extended his threats to include British troops after British defense minister Michael Fallon’s July 20 announcement that the United Kingdom would double the number of troops deployed to Iraq to 500.

The comments from Sadr’s camp may be an attempt to draw political support from fellow Iraqis, many of whom oppose the U.S. military presence there, said Joel Wing, an Iraq analyst who publishes the blog Musings on Iraq.

“Sadr has been pushing Iraqi nationalism in his current political battles and making the comments about the U.S. being targets is part of that,” Wing told Military Times recently. “Overall, think it was just a political comment to score some points rather than a real threat”.