HOW COME BUSH DIDN'T MENTION THIS THURSDAY IN HIS SPEECH ABOUT IRAQ?

Thousands of demonstrators in Basra, Iraq demanded the ouster of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The demonstrations came on the same day President Bush was in Dayton, Ohio telling a military audience how well everything is going in Iraq.

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Friday , 28 /03 /2008 Time 12:00:27

http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=74415&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

Baghdad, Mar 27, (VOI) - Thousands of Sadr City residents staged a massive demonstration on Thursday near al-Sadr office, calling to sack Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki after the military operation waged in Basra.

“The to dismiss Nouri al-Maliki,” Sheikh Salman al-Foureji, responsible for al-Sadr’s office in al-Rasafa, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).

“The angry men described the premier as (a cooperator) with the occupation forces,” he added.

“The protesters demands include; sacking al-Maliki, putting an end to the occupation, ending military operations and random arrests throughout Iraq, and releasing detainees,” the Sadrist office explained.

They raised banners condemning the Iraqi government’s policy and chanted slogans against Nouri al-Maliki.

For his part, Sheikh Jaleel al-Lami, from the al-Sadr’s office, told the VOI “the demo came after the recent aggressions against Iraqis throughout the country and we take part in the protest in response to a demand from Shiite Clerick Muqtada al-Sadr, pointing out that the protests will continue “until our demands are met.”

Armed clashes broke out on Thursday morning in Sadr City in eastern Baghdad between gunmen and U.S. forces after the latter closed the city’s inlets and outlets.
Eyewitnesses told the VOI that explosions and clashes have been ongoing in the city since Tuesday.

Basra and a number of southern provinces have been a hotbed of fierce armed confrontations since Monday between security forces and armed groups, during which scores of civilians were killed and wounded.