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Al-Sadr's War

Started by C Miller; Last updated Feb 25, 08 10:07 AM CST by C Miller | View history

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Al-Sadr's War

As leader of the Mahdi Army, radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is one of Iraq's most dangerous rebelsï¿½??and, on occasion, a key Coalition ally

Stories

Stories 1 - 20 of 60

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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 »
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 »
- 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 »
- 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 »
- Iraq's First Lady Survives Attack on Motorcade
  
  newser | Associated Press | May 4, 08 10:44 AM CDT
  
  The wife of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani escaped injury after a roadside bomb hit her motorcade in Baghdad this morning. Hiro Ahmed Ibrahim was on her way to a cultural festival when the blast hit, injuring four of the first lady's bodyguards. It is unclear whether the attack was random or she was targeted, AP reports. More »
- US Rocket Attack Damages Iraqi Hospital
  
  newser | Reuters | May 3, 08 1:16 PM CDT
  
  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 »
- Bombs Kill Dozens in Iraq
  
  newser | Associated Press | May 1, 08 4:52 PM CDT
  
  As US forces engaged in heavy fighting in the Mahdi Army's Sadr City today, bombings in Baghdad and Diyala province took the lives of as many as 45 Iraqis and one US soldier, the AP reports. The Diyala bombing, in Balad Ruz, was carried out by two suicide bombers—one of them a woman—during a wedding celebration. More »
- 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 »
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 »
- Sunni Bloc Signals Return to Iraq Cabinet
  
  newser | New York Times | Apr 24, 08 3:04 PM CDT
  
  The biggest Sunni bloc in Iraq is returning to the government after a nine-month boycott, encouraged by a new amnesty law and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s redoubled attention to Shiite militias, the New York Times reports. Which cabinet positions the Tawafiq bloc will get, and which members will hold them, is still up in the air. More »
- 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 »
- 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 »
- 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 »
- Iraqis Buck US, Flee Front Line in Sadr City Fight
  
  newser | New York Times | Apr 16, 08 11:51 AM CDT
  
  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 »
- 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 »
- 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 »
- Iran Is Now a Bigger Threat in Iraq Than al-Qaeda: US Officials
  
  newser | Washington Post | Apr 12, 08 3:06 PM CDT
  
  Recent battles in Basra prove that Iran is crippling Iraqi stability while al-Qaeda's influence there wanes, US officials say. David Petraeus pointed to Iran's influence in testimony this week, and now Shiite militias are said to have benefited from Iranian weapons, training, and guidance in Basra fighting—prompting a Washington probe of Iran's impact, the Washington Post reports. More »
- 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 »
- 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 »
- 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 »

Stories 1 - 20 of 60

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Images (11)
Videos (1)

Jubilant Iraqis carrying signs of firebr (Getty Images)

Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gestures a (Getty Images)

Shiite Firebrand Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr (Getty Images)

A young mourner carries a picture of Sahib al-Ameri (L), a senior... (Getty Images)

Iraqi Shiites hold a portrait of dissident cleric Moqtada Al... (Getty Images)

An Iraqi holds a torn poster of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada... (Getty Images)

(FILES) Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, speaks to thousands of... (Getty Images)

Six Members Of Al-Sadr Parliamentary Bloc Ordered Out Of Iraqi Government (Getty Images (by Event))

Iraqi Shiites shout anti-US slogans during a demonstration in... (Getty Images)

(FILES): This 31 July 2006 file photo shows Iraqi Shiite cleric... (Getty Images)

88 FILE ** In a file photo the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, gestures while delivering a Friday sermon, in a Mosque, in Kufa, Iraq, Friday Sept. 22, 2006. Cabinet ministers loyal to radical... (Associated Press)

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Related Threads

Iraq Civil War • Iran in Iraq • US Military • Body Count in Iraq • A Nuclear Iran • Iran • Iraq Exit Strategy • The Four Horsemen • War on Terror • Bush 43

Background

Muqtada al-Sadr
Council on Foreign Relations

His father, the Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, was the most powerful Shiite cleric in Iraq in the late 1990s. His uncle, Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Sadr, was a leading Shiite activist who was executed by Saddam Hussein%u2019s forces in 1980. Muqtada al-Sadr went underground in February 1999...

» Read more about Muqtada al-Sadr at Council on Foreign Relations

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