Weapons-for-cash program profits ordinary folks

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 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 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.