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Al-Sadr takes Mehdi Army out of action

Anti-US cleric Moqtada al-Sadr took his Mehdi Army out of action for up to six months to overhaul the feared Shiite militia -- a stunning move that underscores the growing struggles against breakaway factions with suspected ties to Iran.

A spokesman for al-Sadr said on Wednesday that the order also means the Mehdi Army would suspend attacks against US and other coalition forces.

But it's unclear how much influence al-Sadr still wields over Shiite groups blamed for waves of attacks, including powerful roadside bombs that remain the chief killer of US troops. US officials, meanwhile, reacted with skepticism and urged al-Sadr to show tangible steps to rein in his fighters.

The announcement by al-Sadr -- who formed the militia after the fall of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in 2003 -- appeared aimed at distancing himself from suspected Iranian-backed Mehdi factions he can no longer control. It also sought to deflect criticism for his followers' perceived role in this week's fighting in Karbala that aborted a Shiite religious festival and claimed more than 50 lives.

Thousands of pilgrims fled in terror as fighting erupted on Tuesday between Mehdi Army members and security forces linked to a rival Shiite militia, the Badr Brigade.

The battles are part of wider power struggles by armed Shiite groups for control of the Shiite heartland of southern Iraq, which includes major religious shrines and most of the country's vast oil riches.

The splintering of the Mehdi Army has opened new fronts across the south.

In a statement, al-Sadr said he would "freeze" the Mehdi Army "for a period not exceeding six months." The goal, the statement said, is to reorganize the force "in such a manner that would maintain and preserve the prestige of this symbol of the faith."

A spokesman for al-Sadr, Ahmed al-Shaibani, told reporters that the Mehdi Army also was "suspending the taking up of arms against occupiers as well as others."

Iraq's national security adviser welcomed al-Sadr's announcement and said the Shiite-dominated government was "waiting for concrete results on the ground."

"The contents of the statement as we heard it are good," Mouwaffak al-Rubaie told Alhurra television. "We welcome it and believe that, if implemented to the letter, it will have a huge effect on the level of violence in Iraq."

In Washington, US Defense Department press secretary Geoff Morrell urged al-Sadr and other militia leaders to join "the legitimate Iraqi security forces and be accountable to the central government" but said it was too early to determine the significance.
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