abcnews.go.com - 8/8/2008
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The anti-American cleric who launched the Shiite insurgency in Iraq four years ago, sparking a cycle of violence that killed scores of U.S. soldiers and led to a sectarian war, will transform his militia into a mostly nonviolent social organization, his office tells ABC News. Moqtada al-Sadr's decision to focus on education and science instead of violence cements a shift that began almost ...
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Al-Sadr to turn Mahdi Army into "mostly nonviolent" social organization
Jihad Watch —
... particularly fellow Shi'ites, is bad for business. In that vein, this reorganization will also allow for a stricter chain of command should violence be called for.
But as long as there is an armed contingent of members "specialized" to carry weapons, the expansion of al-Sadr's organization to include social causes will make it resemble Hizballah or Hamas more than the Rotary Club.
Muqtada 2.0 Update. "Anti-U.S. Cleric to Lay Down Weapons," by Nick Schifrin for ABC News, August 7:
The anti-American cleric who launched the ...
SOFA Near to Agreement?; US Combat Troops out by end of 2010? Kurds Unify Peshmerga, Surround Kirkuk
Informed Comment —
... The Sadr movement's announcement that the Mahdi Army will be turned into a social works organization is not new. They've said this before. Apparently the announcement is because the Iraqi cabinet threatened to exclude Sadrists from elections if they maintained an armed militia. They've decided they want to run as independents, and don't want to be disenfranchised. Whenever they are held the next provincial and parliamentary elections could give the Sadrists a lot of power. In a society where so many men have a gun, the difference between a militia and such an organization ...
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