Moqtada Sadr suspends Mehdi Army

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: BBC

The radical Iraqi Shia cleric, Moqtada Sadr, has suspended his Mehdi Army militia for six months in order to "rehabilitate" it, an aide has said.

Sheikh Hazim al-Araji said the re-organisation would "safeguard its ideological image", in a statement broadcast on Iraqi television.

Correspondents say the Mehdi Army has recently broken into factions.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6968720.stm

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Breaking news, so few details so far.

[Kagemusha]

1. I guess this is because of the big Shiite on Shiite clashes at Karbala.

That ended up disrupting part of their holy festival there. Bad stuff.

Having said that, er, the idea of it really being suspended rather than on paper seems pretty far-fetched.

[sanskritwarrior]

12. Not really

the Mehdi Army has lost over 2000 fighters since May there are hurting........The vast majority of the deaths were from clashes with US forces in the Arab Jabour region and from infighting with the Iraqi Army. Al Sadr has run away to Iran, the Mehdi Army is severly crippled and the apolitical Shia can see Al Sadr for the puny thug he is........

[Javaman]

2. Most of his "militia" doesn't even pay attention to him.

so him "suspending" it is just bullshit.

[Supersedeas]

3. curious timing -- suspend just before debate in Congress & reinstitute just after surge??

Does it smell like a political payoff??

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. I'd had a thought along those lines

After all, with the huge expenditure on Iraq, it would be relatively cheap to bribe some sections to cut down or stop their fighting - and if they could keep it going until after Nov 2008, Bush would be able to try and claim he'd done something right - whatever the long-term consequences (because a bribed Mehdi Army would be a rich, well-armed one, able to bribe other in return, and that would not be not good, I think). Sadr would feel secure enough to suspend his fighting for a bit, while being able to start up again at the end.

[passy]

4. k&r

[rodeodance]

10. Al-Sadr suspends militia activity in Iraq

Source: ap

Al-Sadr suspends militia activity in Iraq

By DAVID RISING, Associated Press Writer 48 minutes ago

BAGHDAD - Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered a six-month suspension of activities by his Mahdi Army militia in order to reorganize the force, and it will no longer attack U.S. and coalition troops, aides said Wednesday.


The aide, Sheik Hazim al-Araji, said on Iraqi state television that the goal was to "rehabilitate" the organization, which has reportedly broken into factions, some of which the U.S. maintains are trained and supplied by Iran.

"We declare the freezing of the Mahdi Army without exception in order to rehabilitate it in a way that will safeguard its ideological image within a maximum period of six months starting from the day this statement is issued," al-Araji said, reading from a statement by al-Sadr.

In Najaf, al-Sadr's spokesman said the order also means the Mahdi Army will no longer launch attacks against U.S. and other coalition forces.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070829/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq;_ylt=AnI7UbC.9FbUYwbECB1NzKms0NUE

[rodeodance]

6. At least 52 people were killed and 300 others injured,

Despite an order to clear the city center, an Al-Arabiya television correspondent on the scene reported there remained an "intensive deployment" of Mahdi Army men, waving guns in the air.

A Sadrist member of the Karbala Provincial Council, Hamed Kanoush, was detained by Iraqi security forces and members of al-Sadr's movement threatened to attack the governor's office if he was not released, according to another councilman, speaking on condition of anonymity out of security concerns.

At least 52 people were killed and 300 others injured, according to the director general of the health department in nearby Najaf who spoke on condition of anonymity. Sixty wounded people were brought to a hospital in Najaf, 45 miles southeast of Karbala, because the Karbala hospitals couldn't handle the volume of wounded, he said.

A city council member in Karbala, however, reported 38 dead and 231 injured in the fighting.

[groovedaddy]

7. We'll see how many from the militia go along with this

It's been observed in the past that many of these groups are not as closely aligned to him as many think.

[ohio2007]

8. squeezed by the surge ?

or maybe he hopes the Iraqi police/army and the US forces put a big hurt on his rivals/enemies ? imo, his wiggle room is being restricted and he wants to regroup his assets.


we'll see soon enough

[ohio2007]

11. US welcomes Iraq militia 'freeze'

The US military says it is encouraged by a radical Iraqi cleric's order that his Mehdi army militia should freeze operations for six months.
If the freeze holds, coalition forces will be freer to tackle al-Qaeda in Iraq, US commanders say.

A US statement issued three days after the surprise move by cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said it could mean fewer kidnappings, killings and attacks.

Mr Sadr's Mehdi Army has become a major force in Baghdad and the south.

It is accused of sectarian attacks and in April the Pentagon called it the biggest threat to peace in Iraq.

However,

the militia has given conflicting signals on whether US military forces would be covered by the freeze.

snip

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6973711.stm

mookie will always do whats best for mookie but in the meantime, secret paece talks are underway in Finland between Shia and Sunni
http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=WORLD&ID=565078371978315720

while the Shia vs Shia quagmire only gets deeper with mookies alleged comment made a few days ago
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070831/D8RBSU201.html

imo, I'm not sure mookie really wants the US to leave. What force would come to bear down on him if a distracting US presence was removed ?

[Amonester]

9. Maybe he is afraid of cholera spreading all over...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2971013

and he wants DOCTORS instead of KILLERS to try taking care of it?

Dream on...