Cleric suspends his Mahdi Army militia after day of mayhem

The arrests were the latest in a series of U.S. actions against Iranian officials in Iraq on official business. The U.S. is still holding, over Iraqi objections, five Iranians who were detained last year after American officials accused them of plotting attacks against Iraqi and U.S. forces. Sadr sa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMcClatchy - Tribune News Service p. 1
Main Author Chris Collins and Leila Fadel
Format Newsletter
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington Tribune Content Agency LLC 29.08.2007
Subjects
Garver, Christopher
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Summary:The arrests were the latest in a series of U.S. actions against Iranian officials in Iraq on official business. The U.S. is still holding, over Iraqi objections, five Iranians who were detained last year after American officials accused them of plotting attacks against Iraqi and U.S. forces. Sadr said the Mahdi Army would suspend operations for up to six months while it was restructured, but many Iraqis wondered whether militia members would obey his directive. Witnesses to Tuesday's clashes in Karbala said Mahdi Army fighters openly defied calls from a top Sadr official who was trying to calm the conflict. Maliki flew to Karbala on Wednesday, where he fired the Iraqi military commander in charge of the city and relieved other officers "who didn't do their duties." He ordered the Iraqi army and air force to take up stations around the city's two Shiite shrines and pledged that those responsible for Tuesday's violence would be arrested.