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Backing Down Mookie
Muqtada al-Sadr, a/k/a “Mookie,” has backed down in Iraq. He has ordered an immediate cease fire for his Mahdi army–including ceasing attacks on Coalition forces.
As usual, Bill Roggio at The Fourth Rail has the scoop. After fierce fighting in Najaf, Mookie is laying down his armed militia:
The fighting in Najaf resulted in 52 killed and over 300 wounded, according to reports, and have harmed Sadr politically while placing him in the crosshairs of US and Iraqi forces.
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Muqtada al Sadr’s backdown from attacks exposes problems with his confrontational approach to both the Iraqi government and Coalition forces, as well as a weakening of his political position inside Iraq. Since Sadr fled to Iran in January, he has quickly lost operational control over elements of his Mahdi Army, which in reality is an amalgamation of criminal and ideological elements.
Along with al Qaeda, the Mahdi army has been one of the major destabilizing forces in Iraq.
Al Qaeda is being routed and the Mahdis are laying down arms thanks to the greatest military in the world and a little thing called The Surge.
Surge on, boys, surge on!