Mahdi Army

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Al-Sadr Appears at Iraqi Mosque
Al-Sadr Appears at Iraqi Mosque
May 25, 2007 8:22 AM CDT

Al-Sadr Appears at Iraqi Mosque

Shiite firebrand returns from Iran, invites Sunnis to join in opposing US

(Newser) - Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr emerged from hiding today, making a surprise appearance near the Iraqi city of Najaf. Al-Sadr, who fled to Iran four months ago, gave a sermon at Kufa today, condemning the US occupation and demanding a "timetable" for withdrawal. In a shift away from sectarianism, he...

Shiite al-Sadr Reaches Out to Sunni Rivals

Switch in tactics aims at hastening US withdrawal

(Newser) - In a dramatic shift in tacttics, Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is reaching out to rival Sunni leaders in Iraq, and purging radical elements of his own militia, the Washington Post reports. With Sunni insurgents making moves to distance themselves from al-Qaeda, Sadr sees an opportunity for a cross-sectarian political alliance,...

Some Mahdis Going Freelance
Some Mahdis Going Freelance
May 2, 2007 1:58 PM CDT

Some Mahdis Going Freelance

What's worse than Moqtada al-Sadr? The Mahdi Army ignoring him

(Newser) - The Madhi Army is letting loose. Officially locked down by leader Moqtada al-Sadr during the troop surge, renegade Mahdis are unleashing a wave of random violence on once-peaceful areas of central and southern Iraq, Newseek reports. That worries even al-Sadr's commanders, who are now seeking U.S. help to control...

Al-Sadr Cronies Quit Cabinet
Al-Sadr Cronies Quit Cabinet
Apr 16, 2007 1:33 PM CDT

Al-Sadr Cronies Quit Cabinet

(Newser) - Six cabinet members loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have made good on their threat to resign from the Iraqi parliament, after the Prime Minister refused to set a date for the Americans to leave. But they insist—in spite of a spate of violence yesterday and today that many...

Anti-American Protests Mark Iraqi Anniversary

Al-Sadr demonstrations draw tens of thousands

(Newser) - Tens of thousands of Iraqis converged today on the southern city of Najaf, a Shia shrine, to mark the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad.  Waving Iraqi flags and chanting anti-U.S. slogans,  demonstators marched from Kufa to neighboring Najaf. AP reports that two cordons of Iraqi...

Al-Sadr Preaches Peace — But Not Toward U.S.

Urges Iraqis to unite against "occupiers"

(Newser) - Firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on Iraqis Sunday to stop killing each other—and join together to rid their country of Americans. On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad, he urged both Iraqi forces and insurgents to direct their fight against "the occupiers,"...

Sadr City Safest Spot in Baghdad
Sadr City Safest Spot in Baghdad
Mar 27, 2007 12:54 PM CDT

Sadr City Safest Spot in Baghdad

(Newser) - Six weeks into the surge the vast Baghdad slum called Sadr City is the safest and best-run part of  the city—but not because of the stepped-up efforts on the part of government forces.  Moqtada al-Sadr is said to be somewhere in Iran, but his representatives run hospitals, school,...

Sunni Baghdad Lies in Ruins as Shiites Rebuild

Insurgents target efforts to provide food, fuel, services

(Newser) - Baghdad's Sunni neighborhoods are in collapse, lacking food, fuel,  electricity and health care even as their Shiite neighbors have regained basic services, Alissa Rubin reports. In Shiite areas, the Mahdi Army fills in for the government by keeping order and organizing resources, but Sunnis now find themselves under attack...

Gunmen Ambush Sadr City Mayor
Gunmen Ambush Sadr City Mayor
Mar 16, 2007 12:07 PM CDT

Gunmen Ambush Sadr City Mayor

Target was key figure in U.S. efforts to disarm militia, create jobs

(Newser) - The mayor of Sadr City was wounded and his police chief killed in an ambush yesterday, creating new challenges for the U.S. military effort to bring security to the Shiite stronghold and rein in the Mahdi Army. The mayor, Rahim al-Daraji, has been a key figure in negotiating with...

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