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Jeff Emanuel: Mahdi Army Buckles in Sadr City; Offers Iraqi Government Cease-Fire, Unfettered Access |
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Sunday, 11 May 2008 |
May 12, 2008
Rumors of an impending cease-fire agreement between the Iraqi government and Mahdi Army fighters loyal to erstwhile Shi’a cleric Muqtada al Sadr kicked into overdrive on Friday morning, with an Arab-language newspaper announcing that it had inside information on the near-finalization of a “deal between the Iraqi government and the Mahdi Army or the Sadrist leadership, to which the militia is linked.” If actually implemented, the impending cease-fire, which the Iraqi press outlet learned about via “an exclusive interview with sources close to the Sadrist Current,” would have ended weeks of intense fighting, which seen massively disproportionate losses on the part of the Mahdi militiamen, in the district northeast of Baghdad known as Sadr City.
Over the weekend, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al Dabbagh and Sadrist spokesman Sheikh Salih al Ubaydi confirmed that such an accord had, in fact, been reached between Sadrist leaders and the Iraqi government led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
This agreement marks the latest in a long series of cease-fire declarations on the part of Sadr and his militia, who, like a schoolyard bully who runs away right when a teacher is about to arrive, always seem to think better of their low-intensity offensives right when they are about to have the hammer dropped on them by the U.S. and Iraqi militaries. Before this weekend, the last cease-fire Sadr declared came just as Iraqi Army and police reinforcements began to arrive in Basra. Rather than risk open conflict with trained and skilled regular forces, Sadr called for his fighters to put down their weapons until further notice.
However, one major detail reported by the oft-incorrect McClatchy newspaper bureau, and still being claimed by Sadrist spokesmen, appears to have been inaccurate. The impending accord, which would have allowed Iraqi security forces (ISF) access to the city without armed resistance from the Sadrists, was rumored – and reported -- to include the stipulation that coalition troops would be banned from the city for the duration of the agreement.
This would have been a major concession, as support from U.S. forces, including Special Operations Forces, has been instrumental in the Iraqi military’s efforts to combat Mahdi fighters and provide security and humanitarian assistance for the district’s residents. Coalition forces have also played a major role in the ongoing construction of a concrete barrier which would separateread
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