Iraqi Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr Suspends Mahdi Army Activities

Foxnews ^ | August 29 2007 | Foxnews

[jveritas]

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

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.

"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."....

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,294990,00.html

[Califelephant]

Methinks this is related to the president’s speech yesterday declaring that Iran MUST stop meddling in Iraq. The message is going out that we are preparing to act if Iran doesn’t dial it back, and Iran is getting the message.

[jveritas]

That is a possible scenario.

[Aquinasfan]

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered a six-month suspension of activities by his Mahdi Army militia..., and it will no longer attack U.S. and coalition troops

Thereby admitting that they have been attacking coalition troops. Is this guy on our target list?

[xzins]

Muslims are allowed to lie and to change their minds.

Sadr is not to be trusted.

[sure_fine]

run’em down into the dirt

no “ time outs left “ boys

[Shadow44]

Doesn’t mean we can’t use this for PR!

[Aquinasfan]

It is part of Islamic theology to call a truce only in order to strengthen your forces. All truces are temporary and are only stop-gaps on the way to eventual victory, in the mind of Islamists. We ought to open the throttle and go after them with everything we have at this point.

Yupper. It's time to finish the job.

[tomnbeverly]

Benchmark?

[George W. Bush]

Can anyone give me a good explanation why we didn't carpet-bomb this turd years ago?!!!!

Why the hell is he still alive? He is the leader of enemy combatants, has directed them to kill Americans.

I hope General Petraeus has a plan that ends with him coming back to report to Congress with Sadr's head on a pike.

[steveegg]

Mookie must be losing too many of his Jihadis.

[Southack]

One would think.

[jveritas]

Yes he is losing too many terrorists and the Mahdi army is breaking up. No matter how you look at it, this is an overall very positive development, and it is another clear proof that the Surge is working very well and that the security situation in Iraq has dramatically improved.

God bless our brave troops and President Bush.

[angcat]

Cheers!

sounds like good news to me but i would not trust the slime ball. Kill em!

[From One - Many]

sadr want a break?
Then BREAK him!

[jveritas]

I do not trust him either but for him to announce this means that his terrorist group is in a very bad shape.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Wonder if this has anything to do with last week’s trilateral leadership agreement to stand down.

[jveritas]

Very possible.

[Owen]

It is astonishing how any political side can forget that victory is why you play the game. It’s not how you play the game. It’s whether you win or lose. If it were not, no one would keep score.

Time to rehabilitate the V word. Victory.

[jdm]

"The aim is to reorganise the militia but not to dismantle it. It is also an effort to root out the rogue elements" in the militant group.

It's a TERROR group - they're all rogue!!!!

[aculeus]

In other words, please stop shooting at us while we reload.

Exactamundo!