Sadrist leaders call for disarmament

The ordinarily militant Sadrist group has called on all of its members to disarm--to not even use weapons in self-defense. This goes beyond the call Moqtada al Sadr made for his group to observe a 6-month ceasefire.

Baghdad, Oct 25, (VOI) - The Sadr bloc's political board on Thursday urged its followers to abandon all arms throughout Iraq.

"We issued strict instructions to al-Mahdi army to abandon all armed forces throughout Iraq and to not deal with weapons or use them under any condition, even under the pretext of self defense," the political board said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr decided on August 31 to freeze his Mahdi Army militias for six months, labeling the step as a "chance" for all militias in Iraq to follow suit.
"We call on our brothers in al-Mahdi army to commit to our leadership's instructions," the statement added.
The statement also said that the Sadrists announced they are resolved to leaving no stone unturned to stop Iraqi bloodshed.
They also urged the Iraqi officials to honor their commitments regarding ending the Iraqis' suffering and illegal arresting.

(Aswat Aliraq)

The cynic might say that al-Sadr wants his group to lay low until the heat is off, then move to take control. And the cynic might be right. However, unless the Sadrists have very thoroughly infiltrated the Iraqi armed forces, that strategy is not likely to succeed. The more stability Iraq experiences, the more confidence will grow in the existing national government. The Iraqi people have had their experience with extremists, and have found it lacking.

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