Thursday, August 30, 2007

Sadr The Shrewd   [John Hood]

Is Iraqi Shiite thugocrat Moqtada al-Sadr exhibiting shrewdness by restraining his militia as the British exit the southern provinces of the country? That's what some analysts are saying:

Sadr on Wednesday ordered his Mahdi Army to suspend all armed action for six months after his fighters were suspected of involvement in deadly gunbattles during a Shiite religious festival in the city of Karbala.

The anti-American firebrand denied any role in the violence but went on to order a freeze on the thousands-strong militia, once described by the Pentagon as the biggest threat to stability in the war-ravaged country.

The events at Karbala were an embarrassment to Sadr, according to Joost Hiltermann, the chief Iraq expert at the International Crisis Group think-tank.

"He doesn't want to be seen fighting Shiites right beside the shrines of Imam Hussein and Imam Abbas," said Hiltermann, referring to Shiite Islam's holiest sites in Karbala.

"There are too many loose elements (in the Mahdi Army) and he wants to regain control," he added. "This is purely an internal matter."

Sadr, he said, has no intention of ever disbanding his militia, which according to a December 2006 report by the Iraq Survey Group boasts about 60,000 fighters.

After the U.K. and U.S. are gone, the argument is, Sadr will be ready and waiting to stake his claim to power — violently.

08/30 09:24 AMShare