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Stories related to: Muqtada al-Sadr

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Stories 1 - 20 of 69

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July 2008
- Sadr City Rebounds After Ceasefire
  
  newser | Time | Jul 2, 08 1:19 PM CDT
  
  The turnaround in Sadr City in the last two months has been dramatic—abandoned dusty lots are now markets stocked with piles of produce and teeming with shoppers; storefronts display suits, purses, shoes, and cosmetics, Time reports. The ceasefire between Iraqi PM al-Maliki and radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has been successful in stopping violence and the US is working on repairing the slum's shattered infrastructure. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • Muqtada al-Sadr • Sadr City
May 2008
- Sadr Cultivates Respect, Image to Reflect Power
  
  newser | Washington Post | May 27, 08 1:49 PM CDT
  
  Muqtada al-Sadr aims to shed his reputation as a dim-witted thug and become a respected Iraqi cleric like his father, the Washington Post reports, and has even spent the past year studying in Iran. Sadr, then nicknamed "Muqtada Atari" for his love of video games, was 25 when the 1999 assassination of his father left him head of Iraq's largest Shiite opposition group. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • Muqtada al-Sadr • Mahdi Army • Sadr City • Sadrists • Shiite cleric • cleric
- Iraqi Army Rolls Into Sadr City
  
  newser | Los Angeles Times | May 20, 08 9:08 AM CDT
  
  Roughly 10,000 Iraqi troops peacefully marched deep into Sadr City today, the Baghdad ghetto that’s long been a stronghold for Muqtada al Sadr’s Mahdi Army. The incursion was part of a deal negotiated with Sadr last week, which allowed for inspections so long as the US wasn't involved. "It's like a normal day here," said one resident. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Baghdad • Muqtada al-Sadr • Mahdi Army • Sadr City • Iraq Army
- Shiite Militants Agree to Sadr City Cease-Fire
  
  newser | Associated Press | May 10, 08 8:06 AM CDT
  
  Shiite militants have agreed to a cease-fire in Baghdad’s Sadr City, said an aide to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose militia is concentrated there, the AP reports. Sadrists “will stop fighting in Sadr City and will stop displaying arms in public,” the aide said. “In return, the government will stop random raids against al-Sadr followers and open all closed roads that lead to Sadr City.” More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • Baghdad • Muqtada al-Sadr • al-Qaeda in Iraq • Sadr City • Mosul • Shiite militants
- Iraq Leaders to Visit Iran to Discuss Militia Role
  
  newser | New York Times | May 1, 08 2:06 PM CDT
  
  A delegation of Shiite Iraqi officials is heading to Iran to discuss its role in supporting anti-government activity in Iraq, the New York Times reports. The trip marks the first time Iraqi leaders have visited Tehran over the issue. The officials, selected by PM al-Maliki, all have links to Iran, whose support of Shiite militias has long drawn US criticism. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • Iran • Nouri al-Maliki • Muqtada al-Sadr • Shiite • Shiite militia
April 2008
- Green Zone Strike Kills 2 in Sandstorm
  
  newser | Los Angeles Times | Apr 27, 08 6:35 PM CDT
  
  Hidden in a sandstorm, militants struck the US-protected Green Zone in Baghdad today and killed at least two Iraqis, the Los Angeles Times reports. The mortar or rocket attack, which also wounded 25, came just 2 days after influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered members of his Mahdi Army to end recent fighting. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • Iran • Baghdad • Muqtada al-Sadr • Mahdi Army • Sadr City • Green Zone • Shiite insurgents
- Al-Sadr Threatens 'Open War'
  
  newser | CNN | Apr 19, 08 4:48 PM CDT
  
  Moqtada al-Sadr today threatened today to “declare a war” against Iraq unless it curbs attacks on his Mahdi Army, CNN reports. “I’m giving the last warning to the Iraqi government,” he said. “If the government does not stop the militias infiltrated with them, then we will declare an open war.” Al-Sadr had declared a ceasefire in August. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • Nouri al-Maliki • Muqtada al-Sadr • Mahdi Army • Basra • Shiite militia
- Iraqi Troops Seize Sadr Stronghold
  
  newser | Reuters | Apr 19, 08 9:11 AM CDT
  
  In a major new clash, Iraqi troops backed by American and British firepower today captured a stronghold of fighters loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in Basra, said Iraqi officials. In a show of force, American planes and British artillery attacked a deserted area outside the Sadr-controlled section of Hayaniya before Iraqi troops moved into the neighborhood and seized the center, Reuters reports. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq war • US military • Baghdad • Muqtada al-Sadr • Basra • Sadr City • Iraq Army • British military
- US Builds Giant Wall in Sadr City
  
  newser | New York Times | Apr 18, 08 6:26 AM CDT
  
  American forces have begun construction of an enormous concrete wall that will partition Sadr City, one of Baghdad's most dangerous neighborhood. The structure is intended to make the southern section of Sadr City, a Shiite stronghold that borders the Green Zone, into a protected enclave, reports the New York Times . Walls in other parts of Baghdad have succeeded in blunting insurgent attacks, despite residents' fears of isolation. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • US military • Baghdad • insurgents • Muqtada al-Sadr • Sadr City • wall
- Iraq Fires 1,300 Cops, Troops After Basra
  
  newser | New York Times | Apr 13, 08 5:16 PM CDT
  
  Iraq sacked 1,300 troopers and policemen today for fighting poorly or not at all in last month’s Basra battles. “Some of them were sympathetic with these lawbreakers,” said one official. “Some refused to battle for political, national, sectarian or religious reasons.” The firings are tantamount to Baghdad admitting it failed in the clashes against Shiite insurgents, the New York Times reports. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Nouri al-Maliki • Muqtada al-Sadr • Mahdi Army • Basra • Sadr City • Shiite militants • Iraqi government • Iraqi soldiers • Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council
- 19 Yanks Die in Worst Week of Year for US
  
  newser | Associated Press | Apr 13, 08 5:24 AM CDT
  
  The death of a US soldier in a roadside blast in Baghdad yesterday brought the death toll for US troops to 19 in a single week—the highest so far this year. Almost all of the deaths have been in the Iraqi capital, where US and Iraqi forces are battling the Mahdi Army. Troops are also fighting Sunni insurgents in northern Iraq, AP reports. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • US military • Baghdad • Muqtada al-Sadr • roadside bomb • Iraq death toll • Sadr City • Shiite militia
- Sadr City Fight Kills 13; Insurgents Vow to Fight On
  
  newser | Reuters | Apr 12, 08 12:57 PM CDT
  
  US and Iraqi forces clashed with Shiite insurgents in fierce fighting overnight near Baghdad’s Sadr City, Reuters reports, as authorities lifted a blockade in some areas that had been stifling the region. At least 13 militiamen loyal to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr were killed in the clashes in the Iraqi slum, but no American or Iraqi troops were seriously injured. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • Nouri al-Maliki • Robert Gates • Muqtada al-Sadr • Sadr City • Shiite militants • Najaf • blockade
- Death of Sadr Aide Sparks Battles in Baghdad
  
  newser | Reuters | Apr 11, 08 8:02 PM CDT
  
  The murder of a Moqtada al-Sadr aide triggered heavy fighting in Baghdad today after al-Sadr’s men attacked US and Iraqi forces, Reuters reports. The cleric blamed “the hand of the occupier” for the death of Riyadh al-Nuri, a close relative, and vowed not to forget “this precious blood.” A US commander told CNN that battles broke out when a US patrol, backing Iraqi forces, ran into 10 roadside bombs and sustained heavy fire. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • Iraq war • Baghdad • US Army • Muqtada al-Sadr • assassination • Mahdi Army • Basra • Sadr City • Iraq Army • Jalal Talabani • Najaf
- Sadr Threatens to End Truce
  
  newser | CNN | Apr 8, 08 3:02 PM CDT
  
  Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr today threatened to end the cease-fire he imposed last year on his Mahdi militia, CNN reports, and called off a massive protest set for tomorrow, the fifth anniversary of the end of Saddam Hussein’s rule. Hundreds had converged on Baghdad—despite orders to keep young men out—before Sadr called off the event. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • US military • Nouri al-Maliki • Muqtada al-Sadr • Sunni • Mahdi Army • Saddam Hussein • Sadr City • Shia • Iraq Civil War • Sadrists
- Split Deepens Between Iraqi Shiites
  
  newser | Washington Post | Apr 7, 08 2:40 PM CDT
  
  As violence between Sunni and Shiites has subsided in Iraq, animosity between Shiite sects is mounting, with a death toll to match, the Washington Post reports. The government's offensive last week against Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army militia in Basra exposed the grim reality of a widening political gulf. “They are our brothers," said a Mahdi Army leader. "But their political positions have changed them.” More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • Nouri al-Maliki • Muqtada al-Sadr • Shiite • Sunni • Mahdi Army • Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council • Abdul Aziz Al Hakim
- Iraqi PM: No Elections for Militias
  
  newser | Associated Press | Apr 7, 08 8:32 AM CDT
  
  Muqtada al-Sadr and his loyalists will be banned from upcoming elections if the Mahdi Army doesn't disband, Nouri al-Maliki said today, in his toughest rhetoric yet against the popular cleric. Sadrists say the Iraqi PM has no constitutional power to make that threat, but even if lawmakers succeed in banning parties that operate militias, the backlash could be violent, the AP reports. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • Nouri al-Maliki • Muqtada al-Sadr • Mahdi Army • Iraq government • Sadr City • Green Zone • Sadrists • Iraqi militias
- Baghdad Rockets Kill 3 US Soldiers, Wound 31
  
  newser | CNN | Apr 6, 08 5:18 PM CDT
  
  Battles erupted in Baghdad today as rocket attacks killed three US soldiers and wounded 31, CNN reports. The first strike killed one and wounded 14 at a military outpost; “a couple of rounds of fire” killed two more and wounded 17 in the Green Zone soon after, a military official said. Earlier, US troops fought cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia, killing at least 20 and wounding 52 in Baghdad, the AFP reports. More »
  
  Tags
  
  US military • Nouri al-Maliki • Muqtada al-Sadr • American troops • death toll • Shiite militia • casualties
- Basra Showed Maliki Weakness, al-Sadr Strength
  
  newser | Washington Post | Apr 4, 08 1:06 PM CDT
  
  The Iraqi-led assault on Basra last week exposed the weaknesses of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the strength of Moqtada al-Sadr, the Washington Post concludes in its post-mortem of the unsuccessful foray. In not engaging parliament, political allies, or the Americans in planning the incursion, Maliki sought to demonstrate decisiveness, but showed ineptness instead. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iran • US military • Nouri al-Maliki • Muqtada al-Sadr • Basra
- Iraqi PM Flips, Calls Off Raids on Militias
  
  newser | Associated Press | Apr 4, 08 9:48 AM CDT
  
  Nouri al Maliki reversed course today, ordering a stop to raids against suspected Mahdi Army militants. The move is an apparent olive branch to Shiite rival Muqtada al Sadr, who had complained that raids against his militia fighters were continuing, even after he’d ordered them off the streets. Just yesterday, Maliki was calling for raids in both Basra and Sadr City. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • Nouri al-Maliki • Muqtada al-Sadr • Mahdi Army • Basra
- Iraqi Assault on Basra Was 'Thrown Together'
  
  newser | New York Times | Apr 3, 08 6:37 AM CDT
  
  American officials were expecting a gradual, methodical operation when Nouri al-Maliki moved Iraqi troops into Basra to restore order in the city. What they witnessed instead was a rush job: an Iraqi raid that had little forethought and began even before the last of the soldiers had arrived. "He went in with a stick and he poked a hornet's nest," one coalition official told the New York Times . More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • Nouri al-Maliki • David Petraeus • Muqtada al-Sadr • Basra • Ryan Crocker • Sadrists • Iraqi militias

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