Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

US Teams With Al-Sadr

Common enemies inspire peculiar alliance

By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 12, 2007 5:27 PM CST

(Newser) – The US military and the man who was once considered the most powerful destabilizing force in Iraq, Moqtada al-Sadr, now have a common enemy: rogue members of Sadr's Mahdi Army. Since Sadr declared a ceasefire three months ago, US commanders, including Gen. David Petraeus, have been secretly meeting with Sadr's deputies to cooperate on fighting the Iran-funded splinter militias, Newsweek reports.

Sadr loyalists have formed  a “golden battalion” to hunt the rebels; the US military hopes to keep widening the distance between the groups, and has brokered truces between Sunni sheiks and Mahdi Army commanders in some Baghdad neighborhoods. Sadr himself has been absent from public life since August; Newsweek says he may be in Najaf studying up for a clerical promotion.

A young boy drinks a glass of milk next to a poster of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2007. Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has ordered a six-month suspension of activities by his...
A young boy drinks a glass of milk next to a poster of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2007....   (Associated Press)
A pilgrim displays a poster of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr as he marches to the holy city of Karbala, 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2007.  Over a million of Shiite pilgrims from throughout the world are expected to gather in the Shiite...
A pilgrim displays a poster of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr as he marches to the holy city of Karbala, 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2007. Over a million...   (Associated Press)
An Iraqi man holds a political newsletter of the Sadr Movement...
An Iraqi man holds a political newsletter of the Sadr Movement...   (Getty Images)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

More Newser Stories

Sadr Offers to Trade Militia for Set Timetable

Militia Power Wanes as Iraqi Government Gains

Iraqi Army Rolls Into Sadr City

Green Zone Strike Kills 2 in Sandstorm

Death of Sadr Aide Sparks Battles in Baghdad


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne