A weapons-for-cash program designed to disarm Shiite militiamen who have been fighting US troops is unlikely to weaken the movement of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in his Baghdad stronghold -- but is proving to be an economic bonanza for residents.
Senior aides of al-Sadr and local commanders of his Mahdi Army militia in Sadr City -- home to up to 2.5 million people -- said the five-day program that began Monday as part of a truce did not mean gunmen would be hard pressed to procure arms if they have to.
"We have taken our precau-tions," sheik Mussa al-Sari, a local militia commander, said. "Our plan is to maintain our strength."
Furthermore, sources close to the militia in Sadr City said some of the gunmen were handing over weapons that are not properly functioning or were considered surplus. In some cases they threw in one or two pieces in pristine condition to make the process look genuine.
Cash could be used to buy new weapons, the sources said on condition of anonymity. The process also doesn't require those surrendering weapons to prove membership of the Mahdi Army, something that has meant that ordinary Iraqis were able to trade guns for cash.
On Tuesday, a woman in a black cloak, or abaya, turned in what looked like an antique rifle.
"It's extremely unlikely that al-Sadr's fighters will surrender all their medium and heavy weapons and, given the widespread availability of military equipment in Iraq, they will be able to easily replace anything they give up, especially as they are receiving money in exchange for weapons," said Jeremy Binnie, Middle East editor for Jane's Sentinel Security Assessments in London. "The Mahdi Army's disarmament is something of a mirage."
Even if the Mahdi Army doesn't genuinely disarm, a quiet Sadr City would be a much needed respite for US and Iraqi forces, allowing them to shift resources to dealing with a 17-month-old Sunni insurgency in Baghdad and areas to the north and west ahead of a key January election.
The vote's credibility depends on a respectable turnout and the ability of Iraqis to vote anywhere across the nation -- objectives which are security-related.
However, with arms still in the hands of al-Sadr's followers in Sadr City, fighting could resume any time. Small bands of militiamen also exist in other Shiite districts of Baghdad and in cities and towns across central and southern Iraq where al-Sadr enjoys considerable sympathy.
The Sadr City truce, reached last week between Iraq's interim government and tribal leaders from the district, doesn't provide for the disbanding of the Mahdi Army. It obliges authorities, in return for disarming, to release Sadrist activists in detention unless they are facing criminal charges, halt the pursuit of al-Sadr supporters and restrict house sweeps.
It's the second time in less than two months that the al-Sadr followers and the government reach a truce that allows the 31-year-old cleric to keep his militia. In late August, al-Sadr's gunmen walked away with their weapons intact from a shrine in Najaf after three weeks of fierce fighting. The militiamen are believed to have moved to Sadr City.
In April, a similar agreement halted the first of al-Sadr's two revolts so far this year, but the militiamen did not leave Najaf as agreed and instead hid in the city's large cemetery and held sway over the holy city until clashes erupted in August.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of