Troop surge already a success: al-Sadr has fled to Iran

Here's some news that the cut-and-run folks, such as Barack-out-of-Iraq Obama, needs to see. Operation Baghdad, of which the troop surge is only a part, has seen its first victory: The mumbling mullah, Muqtada al-Sadr, has left Baghdad for Tehran.

Anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr fled Iraq for Iran ahead of a security crackdown in Baghdad and the arrival of 21,500 U.S. troops sent by President Bush to quell sectarian violence, a senior U.S. official said Tuesday.

Al-Sadr left his Baghdad stronghold some weeks ago, the official said, and is believed to be in Tehran, where he has family. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss U.S. monitoring activities, said fractures in al-Sadr's political and militia operations may be part of the reason for his departure. The move is not believed to be permanent, the official said.

Word of al-Sadr's departure coincides with an announcement that Iraq will close its borders with Iran and Syria for 72 hours as part of the drive to end the violence that has threatened to divide the capital along sectarian lines.

He left Iraq because more troops were on the way, not because of diplomatic efforts of some "listening tour." Fanatics like al-Sadr only understand brute force.

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