Apparently Al-Sadr is feeling the heat for the mosque attacks in Karbala. "Iraqi Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr Suspends Mahdi Army Activities," from AP (thanks to Mackie):
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, an aide 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.
The order was issued after two days of bloody clashes in the Shiite holy city of Karbala that claimed at least 52 lives. Iraqi security officials blamed Mahdi militiamen for attacking mosque guards, some of whom are linked to the rival Badr Brigade militia.
A spokesman for al-Sadr, Ahmed al-Shaibani, denied the Mahdi Army was involved in the Karbala fighting. Al-Sadr called for an independent inquiry into the clashes and urged his supporters to cooperate with the authorities "to calm the situation down," al-Shaibani said.
Good news.
And after six months what happens? Are they going to come back as cub scouts?
"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, an aide said Wednesday"
...like most Muslim ceasefires, this one will last about 2 days....
Robert Spencer!
Your are a courageous man! Keep up the good work for Western Civilization.
I am half way through your latest book.
Al-Sadr should be six feet under the ground.
"BAGHDAD — Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered ....."
....Al-Sadr doesn't do squat without the approval of Al-Sistani.....
al-sadr should have been arrested when he was implicated in the death of the other so-called cleric
Like we should suspend muslim immigration right away.
Muslim fundamentalists here also flit in and out of the country, no doubt bent on their nefarious duties, just like Muki.
No more fly ins.
No more fly ins.
No more flies.
No more muslim fundamentalists
"He has to figure out who 'his' men are!""
Posted by: MZ"
...THAT is hard to do, when they are wearing burkas....
Calling off the dogs wont work when the dogs are already rabid. If Mahdi's army is breaking into factions, acting independently, and out of control, calling them in for 'rehabilitation', won't work either. Sadr is loosing his grip...
"ceasefire...to safeguard its idealogical image."
Your image is safe with us, Mook. It is burned into our psyches. The currency you trade in is violence, indiscriminate and unmerciful, the spiritual inheritance from your founder, Satan.
Now you go out there and enforce that ceasefire.
The great Religion of Peace at it again. What a joke!! It should be--The Religion of Piece, a piece here, a piece there, a pile of pieces over there.
"freezing"???...english translation, he's simply regrouping, reforming, and rearming.
History shows the ONLY reason they stop, be it a bogus "ceasefire" or what-have-you, it's only to serve to their benefit, and this one is merely a regrouping for future attacks.
pot bellied Muqtada al-Sadr is taking a six month holiday? yeah sure, he just wants to do some house cleaning and let the heat disappate, he should be enemy no. 1 for the US military target men!
The thing I ponder is how is this guy still breathing? Him living must benefit us somehow, but I just am not smart enough to understand it. It could not be that difficult to hit a pudgy glory hound like this low life, right?
Innedajob must have told him the time isn't right yet.
Al-Sadr really doesn't want a reason for US Forces to come for him and his croneys. Especially when he has to absorbe who knows how many Iranians who will conviently not go home.
Just one question...
How the hell can anyone "safeguard" an "ideological image" when it consists of murder, mayhem, and madness? (as if it's supposed to IMPROVE???)
I mean...once that low level is reached, there is no salvaging anything.
And Sadr will be dead in: ---29 days?
28?
I'm betting before Fall.
Sistani is pissed-tani.
al-Sadr needn't worry as he can't hide the truth. All ideologies are inherently evil-- especially Islam which teaches first degree murder.
I've been very surprised that folks haven't called it exactly what it is. To me it appears to be nothing more than a Hudna. A false peace to allow arab-muslim terrorists the opportunity to escape, to re-fit, re-arm and renew their strength.
Muqtada Al-rottenteeth hopes to forestall further casualties so that his force can return for the 3rd? 4th? time to continue commiting their thuggish atrocities and play for ultimate power in Iraq.
The CPA under Bremer, along with the interim government, issued a warrant for his arrest after his followers slaughtered the chief cleric of the Shia shrine in Najaf. That was Muqtada's entree into the Iraq scene, after hiding in Iran from Saddam for several years. That warrant was never executed.
A year later Muqtada's forces had grown, were entrenched in Al-Najaf, where ultimately US Marine and Army forces, along with IA units trounced them. Whereupon Sistani (playing his own dominance games) swept in and rescued him at the 11th hour.
His base of operations was then moved to Sadr city, the Shia slum of NE Bagdad, named after his father. Where his forces routinely killed our and Iraqi troops, and Sunni IRaqis. When we finally moved against him, Maliki called us off.
Muqtada has twice fled to Iran when things got too 'hot' for him.
And now that the pressure is the highest, our forces best deployed, the people of Iraq working with the US and Iraqi miitary to crush the jihadists of any stripe, now Muqtada calls a Hudna.
Muqtada Al-Sadr should be dead, dead, dead. 4yrs+ of this Mehdi Army garbage, and there'll be more of it, as lond as Muqtada lives and Iran is free to finance it.
Several of us did...though in different forms.
You're right...that's ALL they're doing...very common when they run out of ammo, get their asses handed to them, or get bad PR...and it's only to let dust settle, regroup, rearm, refit, etc...
Every Marine in country wants that SOB dead...and if given the chance, the USMC WILL take his murderous terrorist ass the F*** OUT!.
...Muslims regrouping? ....perhaps this surge thing is working....
Ban Muslim Immigration...
"The order was issued after two days of bloody clashes in the Shiite holy city of Karbala that claimed at least 52 lives..."
So they died in the name of allah,(MHRIH), and Muqtada al-Sadr nor Hazim al-Araji say nothing about martyrdom. So where's the martyrs? Is there any consolation to the families of these 52 in that at least their loved ones get 72 virgins? Were any of the 52 female? Do they get to be perpetual virgins in Paradise? Were any underage males? Imagine what their paradise looks like.
No, there are no martyrs. There never are. There is no "Glory to God" in this. The Mahdi beast has gone insane, mindless as it ravages its own people. Funded by Iran, left to its own devices, why should the rouge elements of this "army" listen to al-Sadr at all? This isn't about Islam, it's about controlling this block of a slum or that neighborhood of some festering hell-hole where despair and misery have always dwelt. Allahu akbar, baby.
In the West, you see men of the community working to put in a new playground, or build a safer road, or put up street lighting. In Iraq the men of the community murder those who stand watch outside houses of worship, (regardless of the fact that they are houses of the god they worship). They are not involved in pushing back the darkness but are actively engaged in abetting it. If a man wants a better future for his children, he must build a better future for all children. This thing Mahdi, builds nothing and destroys all it can touch.
Shalom,
Theosebes
OH!...NOW I know why they took "six months off"...
to go to Damascus & help his fellow hezbollah unload all those weapons at the airport they're going to use on Israel soon!
Birds of a feather, ya know...
Six months off will Improve the "image"?
Maybe their image consultants felt the image needed a rest.