Bergner is, of course, full of potatoes.
This is the same rocket known as the Katyusha, that was widely fired by Hezbollah in Lebanon during the summer 2006 conflict against the Israelis. It's the same rocket that has been fired at British troops in Basra for the past year or more, largely by the Badr Corps, which actually does have strong connections to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which the Mahdi Army does not.
And lest we forget, Mahdi leader Muqtada al Sadr recently declared a cease-fire. Has it been effective? The
LA Times reportsU.S. diplomats and military officers have been in talks with members of the armed movement loyal to Muqtada Sadr, a sharp reversal of policy and a grudging recognition that the radical Shiite cleric holds a dominant position in much of Baghdad and other parts of Iraq.
The secret dialogue has been going on since at least early 2006, but appeared to yield a tangible result only in the last week -- with relative calm in an area of west Baghdad that has been among the capital's most dangerous sections.
Of course the article is a complete muddle, as is often the case when the Librul Press tries to explain away the Mahdi Army as something other than Freedom Fighters.
Bottom line: there are lots of Katyushas in Iraq. "Groups" that fire them in Baghdad are probably neighborhood gangs of a dozen or less persons, who may or may not have affiliation with one or more of the Shiite factions. Chances are very good that they are Shiites and that their rockets came from Iran. Chances are very slim that anyone can prove that this particular rocket just arrived in Iraq.
