Sadr to Forge Peaceful Corps from Shiite Army

Anti-American Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is shifting his political clout away from militancy, and will disarm his Shiite Mahdi Army in favor of non-violent civic and social endeavors, the Wall Street Journal reports. Hoping to increase stability in Iraq, the organization will take on projects involving education, religion, and social justice.

A Mahdi Army spokesman clarified that the organization will retain a small cadre of military operatives, though they will remain bound to the current ceasefire. Talk of an American withdrawal timetable has led to “thinking that our work must focus on guiding and enlightening the people to serve Iraqi society,” he added. (More Muqtada al-Sadr stories.)