Militia grumbling threatens Iraqi truce
Published 9:48 pm Wednesday, May 28, 2008
BAGHDAD — An angry Shiite militia commander complained Wednesday that they “we were duped” into accepting a cease-fire in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City — pointing to a potential rift within the movement of militant cleric Muqtada al-Sadr that could threaten the capital’s calm.
The May 11 truce ended seven weeks of fierce fighting in Baghdad between U.S. and Iraqi forces and al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army militia, which held nearly complete control of the Sadr City district.
Iraqi soldiers have recently moved into most parts of Sadr City with little resistance. But the objections raised by the commander highlight apparent dissent by some Mahdi Army leaders.
A split among al-Sadr’s followers — between those favoring a more militant path and others seeking compromise with Iraq’s government — could threaten the relative calm in Baghdad and re-ignite Shiite-on-Shiite violence across Iraq’s south.
Al-Sadr, who has been in Iran for at least a year, supported the Sadr City cease-fire, perhaps to save his Mahdi Army from further losses so it can continue the fight later.
But signs of opposition have been growing within the militia ranks. Last week, two Mahdi Army commanders said militiamen were divided over whether the cease-fire was in their interest.
They said some believed too many lives had been lost to quit the fight and allow their “enemies” to take control of Sadr City, the militia’s largest stronghold.
The commander, speaking on Wednesday to tribal sheiks and lawmakers loyal to al-Sadr, said that “we were duped and deceived” by the truce. “They are arresting many of us now.”
The group had gathered in al-Sadr’s main Baghdad office to discuss how to respond to what they consider cease-fire “violations” by Iraqi troops, such as arrests and house searches.
Some in the audience, however, took issue with the views of the commander, whose name was not made public for security reasons.
“You can be the winner without a military victory,” said Falah Hassan Shanshal, a prominent Sadrist and one of two lawmakers who attended the meeting in Sadr City, home to about 2.5 million Shiites.
“We had to bow before the storm because it was uprooting everything and everyone standing in its path,” he said.
Shanshal was referring to the punishing attacks by U.S. and Iraqi forces, which used tanks, helicopter gunships and Hellfire missiles fired from unmanned aircraft. The strikes killed and wounded hundreds and left parts of Sadr City in ruins.
The head of al-Sadr’s office in Sadr City, Sheik Salman al-Freiji, suggested the truce may collapse if “violations” by the Iraqi army continue.
“There will not be any trust built between the two sides like that,” al-Freiji warned. “The Mahdi Army was created to defend the Iraqi people. How can you do that without fighting the occupier?”
U.S. military deaths
The latest identifications reported by the U.S. military of personnel recently killed in Iraq:
Army Pfc. Kyle P. Norris, 22, Zanesville, Ohio; died Friday from wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an explosive in Jurf as Sakhr; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
Army Sgt. Blake W. Evans, 24, Rockford, Ill.; killed Sunday in Jazeera Desert when his vehicle struck an explosive; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
Army Sgt. Frank J. Gasper, 25, of Merced, Calif.; killed Sunday in Najaf when his vehicle struck an explosive; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, Fort Carson, Colo.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason F. Dene, 37, Castleton, Vt.; died Sunday in Baghdad from injuries suffered in a noncombat related incident; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.
