BAGHDAD — Radical religious preacher Moqtada Sadr extended his Mehdi Army militia cease-fire by around six months yesterday, according to a statement read out on his behalf in several Iraqi mosques.
The move is likely to be widely welcomed by US and Iraqi officials, who say the initial six-month truce helped to sharply reduce attacks on US and Iraqi troops as well as tit-for-tat sectarian violence in Iraq.
The US military has blamed the Mehdi Army for fueling a cycle of sectarian violence in 2006 and 2007 and at one time called the militia the greatest single threat to peace in the country.
“We have extended the freezing of activities of the Mehdi Army,” said Asaad Naseri, a preacher at a mosque in the town of Kufa, reading a statement issued by Sadr.
He said the renewal would last until the 15th of Shabaan, the eighth month of the Islamic calendar, which this year falls in mid-August.
Sadr’s decision had been sent in sealed envelopes to imams of mosques affiliated with the firebrand leader. The imams had been ordered to read the decision during Friday sermon.
Many Mehdi Army members and Sadrist political leaders had wanted the truce scrapped, saying it was being exploited by Iraqi and US forces to arrest Sadrists, especially in southern Iraq, where rival factions are vying for dominance.
“We knew there would be an extension of the freeze, but we thought it would be for a shorter period and we expected to be allowed to act in self-defense against US forces. Now, after this statement, we can’t defend ourselves,” said Amer Moussawi, a Mehdi Army member in Najaf.
Sadr first called the cease-fire after deadly clashes in late August between his militia, Iraqi forces and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, a rival faction, in the city of Kerbala.
Analysts say he decided on the initial truce to bring into line elements in the militia, some of whom had become involved in gangsterism and organized crime.
Drop in Violence
US commanders say violence in Iraq has dropped 60 percent since June 2007, owing to Sadr’s cease-fire, 30,000 extra US soldiers and many Sunni leaders turning against Al-Qaeda.
Sadr’s decision could prove vital in determining whether the security gains can be maintained, thus allowing the US military to continue withdrawing soldiers beyond the more than 20,000 that are scheduled to leave by July. There are currently around 155,000 American soldiers in Iraq.
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday he hoped to pull more troops out of Iraq after a brief pause in withdrawals in July or August to give the military time to assess the likely impact of lower force levels.
“My hope is that we will be able to further draw down our troops in Iraq over the course of the next 10 to 12 months,” he said, speaking in a plane on the way to a meeting in Australia.
Pause in Withdrawals
The US commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, has recommended a pause in withdrawals once the initial reductions are complete in July to assess the security situation. Gates said Petraeus convinced him that a pause would be appropriate.
While praising Sadr for the truce, the US military has pursued what it calls rogue elements of the Mehdi Army.
