Thursday, August 30, 2007
Al-Sadr and the Mahdi Army
(AP) - A look at Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army militia, which he said Wednesday would "freeze" operations for up to six months.
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MUQTADA AL-SADR: The radical Shiite cleric commands influence as both a political force and leader of the Mahdi Army, a network of militiamen and other factions involved in community services. Based in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, al-Sadr is the son of the late Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, the most powerful Shiite clerics in Iraq in the late 1990s. He was killed in a 1999 ambush that his followers blame on the regime of Saddam Hussein.
The younger al-Sadr launched two major uprisings against U.S. and coalition forces in 2004. He maintained his anti-American stance, but later agreed to work with the Washington-backed government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. In April, five of al-Sadr's followers resigned from al-Maliki's Cabinet to demand a resolution setting a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal. Al-Sadr disappeared from public view at the start of the U.S.-led security crackdown in Baghdad in February. U.S. officials claimed al-Sadr was hiding in Iran, but al-Sadr never confirmed his whereabouts. He returned to the public stage in May with a fiery anti-American sermon to thousands of followers.
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MAHDI ARMY: The militia faction was formed in the turbulent months after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 by fighters loyal to al-Sadr. It has grown into one of the most powerful armed groups in Iraq by offering both protection to Shiites and providing needed community outreach such as clinics and welfare services. The Madhi Army — often known by its Arabic name Jaish al-Mahdi, or JAM — mobilized the two uprising against U.S.-led forces in 2004 and turned al-Sadr into a major figure in post-Saddam Iraq.
The Mahdi Army began to fragment this year with some factions suspected of forging closer ties with Iran while breaking away from al-Sadr's grip. Mahdi militiamen have recently intensified battles with the Badr Brigade — the private army of Iraq's main Shiite political group — for control of areas across oil-rich southern Iraq.
The number of Mahdi members is unclear. Some estimates range as high as 50,000 to 60,000 hardcore fighters, but others have set the figure lower. There are also many non-militiamen who are sympathetic to al-Sadr and his movement. It takes its name from a messianic figure central to Shiite Islam: the Mahdi, or so-called Hidden Imam, who disappeared as a child in the 9th century. Shiites believe he will return one day to bring justice to Earth.
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MUQTADA AL-SADR: The radical Shiite cleric commands influence as both a political force and leader of the Mahdi Army, a network of militiamen and other factions involved in community services. Based in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, al-Sadr is the son of the late Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, the most powerful Shiite clerics in Iraq in the late 1990s. He was killed in a 1999 ambush that his followers blame on the regime of Saddam Hussein.
The younger al-Sadr launched two major uprisings against U.S. and coalition forces in 2004. He maintained his anti-American stance, but later agreed to work with the Washington-backed government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. In April, five of al-Sadr's followers resigned from al-Maliki's Cabinet to demand a resolution setting a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal. Al-Sadr disappeared from public view at the start of the U.S.-led security crackdown in Baghdad in February. U.S. officials claimed al-Sadr was hiding in Iran, but al-Sadr never confirmed his whereabouts. He returned to the public stage in May with a fiery anti-American sermon to thousands of followers.
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MAHDI ARMY: The militia faction was formed in the turbulent months after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 by fighters loyal to al-Sadr. It has grown into one of the most powerful armed groups in Iraq by offering both protection to Shiites and providing needed community outreach such as clinics and welfare services. The Madhi Army — often known by its Arabic name Jaish al-Mahdi, or JAM — mobilized the two uprising against U.S.-led forces in 2004 and turned al-Sadr into a major figure in post-Saddam Iraq.
The Mahdi Army began to fragment this year with some factions suspected of forging closer ties with Iran while breaking away from al-Sadr's grip. Mahdi militiamen have recently intensified battles with the Badr Brigade — the private army of Iraq's main Shiite political group — for control of areas across oil-rich southern Iraq.
The number of Mahdi members is unclear. Some estimates range as high as 50,000 to 60,000 hardcore fighters, but others have set the figure lower. There are also many non-militiamen who are sympathetic to al-Sadr and his movement. It takes its name from a messianic figure central to Shiite Islam: the Mahdi, or so-called Hidden Imam, who disappeared as a child in the 9th century. Shiites believe he will return one day to bring justice to Earth.
Labels: Badr Brigade, Jaish al-Mahdi, JAM, Mahdi Army, Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Najaf
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Iraq, U.S. forces detain 12 "rogue" members of Mahdi Army
Security
(AFP) - Iraqi and US forces have detained 12 "rogue" members of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Shiite militia allegedly behind bomb attacks and assassinations of Sunni Arabs, the US military said Tuesday. The 12 were detained on Monday in a series of coordinated raids across Baghdad, a military statement said. "Iraqi Special Operations Forces, with US Special Forces as advisors, conducted synchronised intelligence driven operations that detained 12 rogue Jaish al-Mahdi insurgents ... in Baghdad," it said.
"The detainees include eight high-level leaders linked to JAM (Jaish al-Mahdi) special groups that carry out attacks on Iraqi and coalition forces," it added. The US military accuses JAM, widely known as the Mahdi Army, of being behind unrelenting sectarian attacks against minority Sunni Arabs since vicious communal bloodletting broke out last year.
"The suspects include a brigade commander, battalion commander, two company commanders and one leader of an extra-judicial killing cell," the military said. The forces also captured several JAM cell members suspected of carrying out murders and bomb attacks, it added. The military said the brigade commander was responsible for five groups under his control and transported bombs from Iran into Iraq.
He recently ordered a bomb attack "that caused the death of two US soldiers," the military said. "The suspect also reportedly ordered his JAM members to set up illegal checkpoints to hunt down and assassinate Sunni citizens."
"The detainees include eight high-level leaders linked to JAM (Jaish al-Mahdi) special groups that carry out attacks on Iraqi and coalition forces," it added. The US military accuses JAM, widely known as the Mahdi Army, of being behind unrelenting sectarian attacks against minority Sunni Arabs since vicious communal bloodletting broke out last year.
"The suspects include a brigade commander, battalion commander, two company commanders and one leader of an extra-judicial killing cell," the military said. The forces also captured several JAM cell members suspected of carrying out murders and bomb attacks, it added. The military said the brigade commander was responsible for five groups under his control and transported bombs from Iran into Iraq.
He recently ordered a bomb attack "that caused the death of two US soldiers," the military said. "The suspect also reportedly ordered his JAM members to set up illegal checkpoints to hunt down and assassinate Sunni citizens."
Labels: Jaish al-Mahdi, JAM, Mahdi Army
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
U.S. troops take advantage of splits in Mahdi Army
Politics, Security
(AP) - An apparent split emerging in the Mahdi Army, led by anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, is where the U.S. military hopes to make its gains. They are aided by Mahdi members seeking to purge rivals they describe as "criminal elements." Those willing to cooperate with the Americans are part of a larger group that calls itself the "noble Mahdi Army" and accuses others in the Mahdi Army of going too far by killing innocent Sunni civilians and embezzling militia funds. The informants also target fighters they claim were trained and armed by Iranians, but offer no further proof or details.
"The true Mahdi Army believes in loyalty to Iraq, but there are thieves and gangsters among them now," said a 54-year-old Shiite in Hurriyah, a northwest Baghdad neighborhood where militiamen drove out thousands of Sunnis last year. He refused to give his name out of fear for his life.
Serious divisions within the Mahdi Army could unleash a bloody power struggle among its tens of thousands of followers. Its leader, al-Sadr, has not been seen publicly for months and has issued statements through intermediaries. U.S. officials claim he has taken refuge in neighboring Iran, raising questions about his hold over the militia, named for a messiah-like figure of Shiite Islam.
Informants have handed over lists of key Mahdi Army figures, along with sworn statements against them. That's the legal ammunition American commanders need to conduct raids against a militia that has ties to powerful Shiite politicians. In Hurriyah, tips from Mahdi Army moderates and other community members have allowed the U.S. to capture several top militiamen since January, U.S. officials said.
"The guys we talk to call themselves `noble JAM,'" said Maj. Michael Shaw, using an acronym for the Mahdi Army's Arabic name. He added: "They're more business-minded and realistic about the future."
The Mahdi rifts began earlier this year. The prime minister, a Shiite, persuaded al-Sadr to withdraw his armed militiamen from Baghdad streets to avoid a showdown with the Americans during the security crackdown. But Mahdi Army members have told The Associated Press that some factions in the militia want to step up the fight against U.S. forces. Several thousand members have received training and weapons from Iran, the members said on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
U.S. and Iraqi officials are unsure of the degree of control al-Sadr still exerts over his militia, which he founded in 2003 after the collapse of Saddam Hussein's rule. The bipartisan Iraq Study Group estimated the Mahdi strength at up to 60,000 nationwide, but figures vary greatly depending on whether it includes hard-core loyalists or extended to include sympathizers.
Last year, al-Sadr himself had complained publicly about "deviant" groups that were using the Mahdi Army as a cover for murder, extortion and smuggling. "If Muqtada al-Sadr goes on TV now and asks JAM to lay down their weapons, do you think that all the fighters would obey? Of course not. Maybe 70 percent would," said Col. Abed al-Raadhi, the National Police commander in Hurriyah.
"For some of these people, it's become a purely criminal enterprise," al-Raadhi said. About a month ago, an elite Mahdi Army unit was dispatched from Najaf, purportedly under orders from al-Sadr himself, to weed out criminal elements, U.S. and Iraq officials said. Nicknamed the "Golden Mahdi Army," the Najaf unit is trying to hunt down and eliminate rogue militiamen before the Americans can capture and interrogate them, the officials said on condition of anonymity because the information is considered highly sensitive.
"The true Mahdi Army believes in loyalty to Iraq, but there are thieves and gangsters among them now," said a 54-year-old Shiite in Hurriyah, a northwest Baghdad neighborhood where militiamen drove out thousands of Sunnis last year. He refused to give his name out of fear for his life.
Serious divisions within the Mahdi Army could unleash a bloody power struggle among its tens of thousands of followers. Its leader, al-Sadr, has not been seen publicly for months and has issued statements through intermediaries. U.S. officials claim he has taken refuge in neighboring Iran, raising questions about his hold over the militia, named for a messiah-like figure of Shiite Islam.
Informants have handed over lists of key Mahdi Army figures, along with sworn statements against them. That's the legal ammunition American commanders need to conduct raids against a militia that has ties to powerful Shiite politicians. In Hurriyah, tips from Mahdi Army moderates and other community members have allowed the U.S. to capture several top militiamen since January, U.S. officials said.
"The guys we talk to call themselves `noble JAM,'" said Maj. Michael Shaw, using an acronym for the Mahdi Army's Arabic name. He added: "They're more business-minded and realistic about the future."
The Mahdi rifts began earlier this year. The prime minister, a Shiite, persuaded al-Sadr to withdraw his armed militiamen from Baghdad streets to avoid a showdown with the Americans during the security crackdown. But Mahdi Army members have told The Associated Press that some factions in the militia want to step up the fight against U.S. forces. Several thousand members have received training and weapons from Iran, the members said on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
U.S. and Iraqi officials are unsure of the degree of control al-Sadr still exerts over his militia, which he founded in 2003 after the collapse of Saddam Hussein's rule. The bipartisan Iraq Study Group estimated the Mahdi strength at up to 60,000 nationwide, but figures vary greatly depending on whether it includes hard-core loyalists or extended to include sympathizers.
Last year, al-Sadr himself had complained publicly about "deviant" groups that were using the Mahdi Army as a cover for murder, extortion and smuggling. "If Muqtada al-Sadr goes on TV now and asks JAM to lay down their weapons, do you think that all the fighters would obey? Of course not. Maybe 70 percent would," said Col. Abed al-Raadhi, the National Police commander in Hurriyah.
"For some of these people, it's become a purely criminal enterprise," al-Raadhi said. About a month ago, an elite Mahdi Army unit was dispatched from Najaf, purportedly under orders from al-Sadr himself, to weed out criminal elements, U.S. and Iraq officials said. Nicknamed the "Golden Mahdi Army," the Najaf unit is trying to hunt down and eliminate rogue militiamen before the Americans can capture and interrogate them, the officials said on condition of anonymity because the information is considered highly sensitive.
Labels: Golden Mahdi Army, Jaish al-Mahdi, Mahdi Army, Maj. Michael Shaw, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Najaf, noble JAM, noble Mahdi Army, U.S. troops
