al Sadr Suspends Militia Activities
Keith_Indy on Aug 29 2007 at 6:38 pm | Filed under: Uncategorized
But the Iraq war is lost, he needs to buck up and keep listening to the Democrats…
Sphere: Related ContentShiite 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.
“It also includes suspending the taking up of arms against occupiers as well as others,” Ahmed al-Shaibani told reporters.
Asked if Mahdi militiamen would defend themselves against provocations, he replied: “We will deal with it when it happens.”
2 Responses to “al Sadr Suspends Militia Activities”
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The View From the Bluff: Lance’s Economic and Finance Blog
With caveats similar to those I expressed on the “reconciliation” deal signed a few days ago, This is a step in the right direction. If nothing else, it may allow us to credibly segregate those he controls from those operating in his name, but in reality not following his orders, and attack them.
You shouldn’t print that–it’s good news coming from Iraq. Can’t let any of that out . . .