Sadr continues his double game and U.S. and Iraq forces dance with Sadr in central and southern Iraq

Muqtada al-Sadr.

U.S. forces continue to chip away at Muqtada al-Sadr's power base in Iraq. The Kuwaiti News Agency reports on two small raids against the offices of Sadr's Mahdi Army in the cities of Hillah and Diwaniyah. In Hillah, there was a gunfight between U.S. and Mahdi Army fighters. No injuries were reported and no arrests were made. In Diwaniyah, a joint U.S. and Iraqi force "broke into the house of Mahdi Army local leader in Diwaniya Province but failed to arrest him."

This is a continuation of the plan to erode Sadr's power base within the Mahdi Army, and force Sadr to openly denounce the Mahdi Army or confront the Iraqi government. As Sadr's most capable and dangerous lieutenants are killed or captured, his power and standing within the organization comes into question. Iraqi and Coalition operations against Sadr in in Diwaniyah is a microcosm of this plan. The real question is does the Maliki government have the will to folow through to completion.

These operations occur as fighting in Amara flared again after clashes between local police (largely manned by members of the Badr Brigades) and the Mahdi Army killed over 25, mostly Mahdi Army fighters. Sadr's forces stood down, but then yesterday retaliated by executing four police officers. A source in a local hospital in Amara described the events as follows: "gunmen dragged police Lt Sarmad Majid al Shatti from his home before dawn, dumping his bullet-riddled body at a farm on the city's outskirts... Another policeman, Lt Alaa al Kabi was shot to death outside his house... At about the same time, provincial policemen Hamid Majeed and Hassan Abdullah were kidnapped from their homes. Their bodies were later found dumped outside the city..."

The Los Angels Times follows "a death trail to Sadr City" and documents Sadr and the Mahdi Army's power in the Baghdad stronghold. The article is a good primer on Sadr's control and the nature of the Mahdi Army, however the claim is made U.S. and Iraq forces have not conducted operations in Sadr City. As we've documented, Operation Together Forward has conducted patrols inside Sadr City during September, and have conducted projects such as refurbishing health clinics in the neighborhoods. Iraqi and Coalition forces have also recently conducted raids in the surrounding neighborhoods of Karkh and Shula. Coalition forces were active in Sadr City during the spring and summer of 2006 as well.

Sadr continues to maintain he is against the sectarian violence, and the media has been complicit in providing him cover by claiming the violence conducted by the Mahdi Army is due to rogue elements outside his control. AFP quotes Sadr's recent statements at the end of Ramadan. "I totally reject any Shiite-Shiite or Shiite-Sunni killings, whatever their motive... Our only objective is to end the (US) occupation... My only enemy is the occupier and the Nawasib [Sunni Islamists/al Qaeda]... Aggression against any Iraqi is an aggression against me," said Sadr. AFP also paraphrases Sadr statement from early in October, "if rumors about his followers taking part in such killings were true, he would denounce them."

His followers are complicit in numerous incidents of sectarian murders,and yet Sadr has yet to denounce a single incident. As we noted on October 20th, "He has not identified these out of control militias, closed offices or denounced them specifically. Sadr is playing a double game of maintaining his militia against the law while pretending to be a responsible member of government."