Mahdi Army Defeated: A Look at the Baghdad Security Plan's Impact on Shi'ite Militias

Since the fall of the Ba'ath Party, Muqtada al-Sadr has seen the American intervention in Iraq as the perfect chance to swoop in and replace the fallen Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein. For the first year after the 2003 war he slowly built up his loyal Mahdi Army - named for the apocalyptic figure in Shi'ite beliefs that will bring 7 years of peace and usher in the end of times along with the Final Caliphate. An organization intelligence sources have stated is heavily funded by Iran and for a long time strong armed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the Mahdi Army has been blamed for playing a crucial role in the sectarian violence triggered by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's bombings of the Askariya Mosque last year.

Now, according to military officials and the Associated Press, this long standing enemy whose leader appears to play a game of in-and-out by constantly fleeing to and from Iran, has officially ordered his soldiers to stop engaging with American troops. In addition to this he says that the Mahdi Army will cease activity for at least six months while it reorganizes from the fracturing caused by American pressure against it in light of the Baghdad Security Plan - sometimes disdainfully referred to as "The Surge".

From the outset, the Mahdi Army took a brunt of the force from the Baghdad Security Plan, forcing Muqtada al-Sadr himself to flee to Iran when it began, knowing that the rules of engagement had altered to make him a valid target. Even in spite of attempts by Prime Minister al-Maliki to shut down American operations in Sadr City, American forces have fractured the Mahdi Army's primary base and separated it into factions, according to the reports by al-Sadr aide Sheik Hazim al-Araji on Iraqi television.

"We declare the freezing of the Mahdi Army without exception in order to rehabilitate it in a way that will safeguard its ideological image within a maximum period of six months starting from the day this statement is issued," al-Araji said in an alleged statement from al-Sadr Wednesday on Iraqi television, the Associated Press reports.

The language by the normally firebrand cleric and his allies has been noticeably glum, in stark contrast to their usual harsh rhetoric and hard line promises. Threats of violence have been replaced by resigned "we'll sees" as seen by another al-Sadr aide in Najaf known as Ahmed al-Shaibani when asked if the Mahdi Army will respond to provocations.

"We will deal with it when it happens," he told reporters.

It is very possible that in addition to pressure put on the Mahdi Army by increased raids throughout Iraq against the Shi'ite organization the bloodbath that ensued in the Shi'ite holy city of Karbala has contributed to the dramatic shift in policy. With 52 fellow Shi'ites dead in what should have been a unanimously holy holiday, it has become clear that the Mahdi Army is no longer able to carry out the goal that won it support in the first place: protecting the Shi'a identity.

This is reflected in al-Araji's statement when he said that they are trying to preserve their "ideological image" - something seen as illegitimate when holy sites such as the Askariya Mosque and Karbala are unable to be protected due to the Mahdi Army's increasingly difficult war against the United States.

The announcement stands as just another example of a long series of successes and victories sprung about by the Baghdad Security Plan - which will most likely be reflected in General David Patraeus's report in September.

Associated Press: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070829/ts_afp/iraqunrestshiiteus_070829143407;_ylt=AtOEZlU.5ugOXP3Jq.fEh4cUewgF
MSNBC News: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20491448/