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Anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has called for restraint in an apparent bid to exert control over his Mahdi Army militia fighters.
Muqtada al-Sadr is considering setting aside his political ambitions and restarting a full-scale fight against U.S.-led forces — a worrisome shift that may reflect Iranian influence on the young cleric and could open the way for a shadow state protected by his powerful Mahdi Army.
A top American general urged radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday to rein in his fighters as a U.S. soldier was killed during a gunbattle in a militia stronghold in Baghdad.
Anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is demanding the Iraqi government protect the public from "the booby traps and American militias" or he may formally end the freeze he imposed seven months ago on his Mahdi Army fighters.
With al-Qaida's influence diminishing in Iraq, U.S. troops have much work to do in stemming Iranian support for militias, President Bush's national security adviser said Sunday.
Iraq's major Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish parties have closed ranks to force anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to disband his Mahdi Army militia or leave politics, lawmakers and officials involved in the effort said Sunday.
Errant mortar shells slammed into houses and a funeral tent Wednesday, leaving three children among the dead during clashes in a Shiite militia stronghold under siege by American and Iraqi forces on the fifth anniversary of the U.S. capture of the capital.
Black banners announcing the deaths of Mahdi Army fighters plaster the streets. Scores of Shiite militiamen gather at the funeral of a fallen comrade as a U.S. helicopter gunship hovers above.
The Iraqi commander of an offensive against Shiite militias has led a convoy into a Mahdi Army stronghold that has seen some of the fiercest fighting in the southern city of Basra.
The Iraqi government has welcomed an order by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to pull his fighters off the streets.
Some facts about Sadr City, the Baghdad stronghold of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia:
The followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have stepped up battles and protests against recent raids and detentions against his Mahdi Army militia.
Rocket attacks on the U.S.-protected Green Zone may carry a message with implications across Iraq: rising anger within the Mahdi Army militia.
Extremists fired an explosive barrage Saturday into the capital's heavily protected Green Zone, targeting the heart of America's diplomatic and military mission in Iraq.
A series of rockets or mortars were fired toward the U.S.-protected Green Zone early Saturday, a day after radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his Mahdi Army militia fighters to cease attacks for another six months.
Powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr opted Friday to keep the cease-fire order for his Mahdi Army militia in place for another six months, a step that will hold down U.S. and Iraqi casualties while bolstering al-Sadr's importance as a political player as Iraqi factions jostle for power.
Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has decided whether to extend his Mahdi Army's cease-fire, and sent the message in sealed envelopes to be opened at the beginning of Friday's sermons, one of his officials said.
U.S. forces said they waged successful battles against both Sunni and Shiite extremists and announced Thursday they had seized two men possibly linked to the capture of three American soldiers earlier this year.
The leader of Iraq's biggest Shiite militia movement has quietly resumed seminary studies toward attaining the title of ayatollah — a goal that could make firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army an even more formidable power broker in Iraq.
The violent Shiite militia known as the Mahdi Army is breaking into splinter groups, with up to 3,000 gunmen now financed directly by Iran and no longer loyal to the firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, adding a potentially even more deadly element to Iraq's violent mix.
Their rhetoric is still stridently anti-American, but Mahdi Army militiamen are tucking away their weapons and blending into civilian life. Their leaders are keeping out of sight.
U.S. and Iraqi forces arrested one of Muqtada al-Sadr's top aides Friday in Baghdad, his office said, as pressure increases on the radical Shiite cleric's militia ahead of a planned security sweep aimed at stemming the sectarian violence ransacking the capital.
Gunmen wearing military uniforms assassinated the brother of Iraq's Sunni Arab vice president in his home Monday — the third sibling the official has lost this year to the country's violence.
Iraq's al-Sadr Renews Threats to Attack USShiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Friday renewed threats to resume attacks on U.S. forces if they don't leave Iraq, deepening the unease over a proposed U.S.-Iraqi security agreement that would allow American troops to stay for three more years.
US, Iraq step up operations against Iranian terror groups"US forces detained five members of the Hezbollah Brigades in Baghdad on Saturday as part of a renewed push to blunt the return of Iranian-backed Shia terror groups reentering Iraq.
Sadr to dissolve militia if US withdraws from IraqNAJAF, Iraq (AFP) - Radical Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr has ordered his Mahdi Army militia to lay down its arms if a security pact between Baghdad and Washington provides for a withdrawal from Iraq, his spokesman said on Friday.
Moqtada Packs It InGood news out of Iraq is becoming almost a daily event: In just the past week, we learned that US combat fatalities (five) dropped in July to a low for the war, that key leaders of al Qaeda in Iraq have fled to the Pakistani hinterland, that troop deployments will soon be cut to …
'This was a bad time for Army. But the city is now safer'The repercussions of the decision to withdraw the last 500 British troops from Basra city last September are only now beginning to unfold.
Six days on the sidelines left Britain facing wrath of allies in BasraAn 'accommodation' with al-Mahdi militia may have irrevocably soured relations with the US and Iraqi armies Gordon Brown is in for a massive Political hammering over this, The UK Population are going to be Outraged if all this is confirmed without explanation.
Secret deal kept British Army out of battle for BasraA secret deal between Britain and the notorious al-Mahdi militia prevented British Forces from coming to the aid of their US and Iraqi allies for nearly a week during the battle for Basra this year, The Times has learnt.
Lessons Learned: IRA and Mahdi ArmyFact number one about guerrilla wars: They're not over until the guerrillas win.
A Brighter Future for Baghdad?: Optimism Grows in Iraq as Daily Life Improves - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - NewsSplitting the Mahdi Army has been significant. Maliki's rival Muqtada Al-Sader seems to be keeping to the sidelines wating to settle scores with the Sunnis and the goverment at a later date
The Passion of the Police Chief - TIMEOne man stands alone in pursuit of freedom and tolerance, so they fire him
U.S. ambassador: Al-Qaida close to defeat in IraqThe U.S. ambassador to Iraq said Saturday that al-Qaida's network in the country has never been closer to defeat, and he praised Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for his moves to rein in Shiite and Sunni militant groups.
Amid Calm, 2 Sides in Iraq Call Each Other WeakBAGHDAD — As some semblance of normal life began to return to Sadr City in Baghdad, the Iraqi government and followers of the radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr on Sunday accused each other of being weak after a cease-fire that finally brought calm to one of the capital's mo …
Iran 'paid Iraq insurgents to kill UK soldiers' The allegations are contained in a confidential "field report" written by a British officer who served in Basra during one of the most dangerous periods of the conflict.
The Conflict Continues in Sadr CityInstead the Mahdi Army has not disintegrated, nor has it laid down its arms. It continues to fight - a war of survival - against Maliki and many uniformed Iraqi troops have laid down their arms and decided to stop fighting.
Muqtada al-Sadr Renews Call to Followers to Stop the Bloodshed, Unite with all Iraqis & Focus on the Occupation...al-Sadr called on his followers to stop the bloodshed, unite with all Iraqis and focus their firepower on driving out the "occupation forces," meaning the United States military and its foreign allies.
Rice praises Maliki after Sadr calls for an open ended warMcClatchy reports: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Baghdad Sunday for an unannounced visit one day after the Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr threatened an all-out war against the Iraqi government.
Iraqi Army Seizes Basra From Militia as Cleric Threatens New Uprising Iraqi soldiers took control of the last bastions of the cleric Moktada al-Sadr's militia in Basra on Saturday, and Iran's ambassador to Baghdad strongly endorsed the Iraqi government's monthlong military operation against the fighters.
The Rise of Moktada Al-sadr How did the Sadrist movement arise, and what are its conflict with other Shia forces? A book by Patrick Cockburn provides answers.
Al Sadr reportedly ready to disband Mahdi ArmyIraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr will consult senior religious leaders and disband his Mahdi Army militia if they instruct him to, a senior aide said on Monday.
Guardian Obtains Secret US Document Outlining Plans for Open-Ended Military Role in IraqA confidential draft agreement covering the future of US forces in Iraq, passed to the Guardian, shows that provision is being made for an open-ended military presence in the country.
Fault lines in occupied IraqExcerpt: THE ERUPTION of fighting from Basra to Baghdad has demolished the latest U.S. war lie that occupied Iraq has turned the corner toward peace and stability. As April began, the Iraqi central government--backed by all the firepower of the U.S.
Iraqi prime minister pledges new offensives in Basra and BaghdadDespite last week's humiliating setback to the US-backed offensive into Basra, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki vowed yesterday that operations would continue "to liberate" areas of the country held by "criminals" and "outlaws".
U.S. Cites Gaps in Planning of Iraqi Assault on Basra - Is Rumsfeld on Maliki's Payroll?American and military officials also suggest that Mr. Maliki overestimated his military's abilities and underestimated the scale of the resistance.
With the recent humiliation of Iraqi government troops at the hands of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army the last vestiges of hope for any sort of positive conclusion to the U.S. involvement in Iraq are fading rapidly.
Moqtada al-Sadr's resistance racks up another one over al-Maliki and the American occupationHassan Jumaa of Iraq's main oil union reported that there was a widespread popular revolt, and there is evidence that both the US and Maliki feared the development of a combined national revolt.
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