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October 13, 2008 11:29:46 AM CDT

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Stories related to: Mahdi Army

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  • August 2008

    • US Officers: We Executed Handcuffed Iraqi Captives

      New York Times  |  Aug 27, 08 5:29 AM CDT

      US Officers: We Executed Handcuffed Iraqi Captives

      (Newser) - Three US officers shot four blindfolded and handcuffed Iraqi detainees early last year and dumped their bodies in a canal, according to statements made to military investigators and obtained by the New York Times . The men are likely to face murder charges. Four others from the same platoon have been charged with murder conspiracy for agreeing to the killings, according to authorities. More »

      Tags

      Iraq  • US Army  • Mahdi Army  • execution  • detainees  • Shiite insurgents

    • Maturing Iraqi Army Enabled US Troop Deal

      Wall Street Journal  |  Aug 22, 08 10:40 AM CDT

      Maturing Iraqi Army Enabled US Troop Deal

      (Newser) - The US's preliminary agreement with Iraq to withdraw most combat troops by 2011 would have been unthinkable even a few months ago. Declining levels of violence, a ceasefire with the Mahdi Army, and the about-face of Sunni leaders have all helped, the Wall Street Journal reports, but for the administration, one factor trumps all others: the strengthening of the Iraqi army from ragtag force to legitimate operation. More »

      Tags

      Iraq  • Iraq war  • troop withdrawal  • Iraq exit strategy  • Mahdi Army  • Iraq Army  • Diyala Province

    • Sadr Offers to Trade Militia for Set Timetable

      Time  |  Aug 8, 08 1:13 PM CDT

      Sadr Offers to Trade Militia for Set Timetable

      (Newser) - Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered most of his Mahdi Army to disband today, and offered to completely dismantle it once the US agrees to a withdrawal timetable, Time reports. “The main reason for the armed resistance is the American military presence,” said a Sadr spokesman. “If the American military begins to withdrawal, there will be no need for these armed groups.” More »

      Tags

      Muqtada al-Sadr  • Iraq exit strategy  • Mahdi Army  • ceasefire  • timetable

    • Sadr to Forge Peaceful Corps from Shiite Army

      Wall Street Journal  |  Aug 4, 08 7:51 PM CDT

      Sadr to Forge Peaceful Corps from Shiite Army

      (Newser) - 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. More »

      Tags

      Iraq  • Muqtada al-Sadr  • Iraq pullout  • Mahdi Army  • timetable

  • July 2008

    • Militia Power Wanes as Iraqi Government Gains

      New York Times  |  Jul 27, 08 5:38 AM CDT

      Militia Power Wanes as Iraqi Government Gains

      (Newser) - The sway of a key Iraqi militia has declined significantly and it's losing control of its Baghdad strongholds to the government, the New York Times reports. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army once controlled politics and police in areas throughout the city, but supporters became disenchanted by its violence and extortion as American and Iraqi forces hammered the group. More »

      Tags

      Iraq  • Baghdad  • Muqtada al-Sadr  • Mahdi Army  • Iraq government  • Sadr City

  • May 2008

    • Sadr Cultivates Respect, Image to Reflect Power

      Washington Post  |  May 27, 08 1:49 PM CDT

      Sadr Cultivates Respect, Image to Reflect Power

      (Newser) - 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

      Los Angeles Times  |  May 20, 08 9:08 AM CDT

      Iraqi Army Rolls Into Sadr City

      (Newser) - 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

    • US Rocket Attack Damages Iraqi Hospital

      Reuters  |  May 3, 08 1:16 PM CDT

      US Rocket Attack Damages Iraqi Hospital

      (Newser) - At least 28 people were wounded when US rockets struck near a Sadr City hospital today, destroying a fleet of ambulances, Reuters reports. The US says the attack was targeting a nearby militia “command and control” center. Hospital windows were shattered, but no patients were injured. The attack came amid a new outbreak of Sadr City fighting that saw 14 gunman killed overnight. More »

      Tags

      Iraq  • Baghdad  • Mahdi Army  • hospital  • Sadr City  • collateral damage

  • April 2008

    • Green Zone Strike Kills 2 in Sandstorm

      Los Angeles Times  |  Apr 27, 08 6:35 PM CDT

      Green Zone Strike Kills 2 in Sandstorm

      (Newser) - 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'

      CNN  |  Apr 19, 08 4:48 PM CDT

      Al-Sadr Threatens 'Open War'

      (Newser) - 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

    • Iraqis Buck US, Flee Front Line in Sadr City Fight

      New York Times  |  Apr 16, 08 11:51 AM CDT

      Iraqis Buck US, Flee Front Line in Sadr City Fight

      (Newser) - An Iraqi Army unit fled its position in Sadr City last night, despite American protestations, the New York Times reports, breeding further doubt among US commanders. A captain begged the Iraqi in charge to reconsider. “If you turn around … those soldiers will follow you,” he said. “If you tuck tail and cowardly run away, they will follow up that way, too.” More »

      Tags

      Iraq  • Iraq war  • Mahdi Army  • Sadr City  • Iraq Army

    • Iraq Fires 1,300 Cops, Troops After Basra

      New York Times  |  Apr 13, 08 5:16 PM CDT

      Iraq Fires 1,300 Cops, Troops After Basra

      (Newser) - 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