May 12, 2004

Cleric ready to disband militia in security deal

Moqtada al-Sadr, the rebel Shia cleric who has led uprisings across Iraq, said yesterday he was ready to disband his militia although he still opposed the US occupation.
[Of course, the al-Guardian has to stick this anti-American tripe somewhere!--Jen]

His comments came after US troops attacked his gunmen in the holy city of Kerbala, killing up to 25 near a mosque they had been using to store weapons.
[Par for the course for a place of "worship" of the Religion of Pieces.--J.T.]

Mr Sadr, 30, has come under intense political pressure as the US military has moved against his fighters in Kerbala and Najaf, further south. Iraq's mainstream Shia parties have tried to convince the young cleric to disband his militia, the Jaish al-Mahdi.

An apparent deal is being struck under which many of the gunmen would be absorbed into a legal Iraqi force which will take over security of the two holy cities and allow the US military to withdraw. A similar agreement was reached last month to end the fighting in the troubled Sunni city of Falluja, west of Baghdad.
[...]
"Look at what your army has done at the behest of its leaders - torture of all kinds," he said. "Are those who came to remove Saddam becoming just the same as Saddam?"
[Do ya think Muqtada has Teddy Kennedy's cell phone number, because this sounds virtually identical to what Uncle Oldsmobile said on the floor of the Senate.--Jen]

American officials still want the cleric to face murder charges related to the killing of a moderate cleric in Najaf in April last year.

Yesterday American tanks surrounded a mosque in Kerbala where gunmen from the militia have been holed up for several days. Half of the Mukhaiyam mosque was destroyed
[Hooah!]
and seven hotels nearby were on fire after tanks attacked the area. The area is just a mile from the Imam Hussein shrine, one of the most important sites in Shia Islam.

[...]
A month ago Mr Sadr led uprisings across southern Iraq, but his popularity has faded dramatically.

Earlier this week there were protests by Iraqis in Najaf demanding he pull his gunmen out of the city, one of the holiest sites in the Shia faith.

After hearing of (and watching, if you have the stomach) the horrible slaughter and decapitation of Nick Berg by the IslamoNazis, it's hard not to advocate a policy of brutal military response to al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army's insurgency, but apparently, the policy they adopted of restraint, patience and cooperation with local leaders has really paid off.
Maybe we won't have to "get tough" with the jihadi Shiites there after all.
Let's hope and pray that this is so.