Iraq's Mahdi army ceasefire is extended

Radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced today that he will order his Shiite Mahdi Army to continue its ceasefire by another six months, giving Iraq a chance to continue its fragile recovery.

The peace deal had been due to expire at the weekend and some earlier reports indicated that it might not be renewed.

“Activities of the Mahdi Army will be suspended … for another six month period,” al-Sadr’s aide Hazim al-Aaraji said.

Al-Sadr’s decision to halt the activities of his powerful militia last August was one of three critical steps that have been widely credited with bringing the Iraqi death toll down more than 60% in recent months.

The US military welcomed initial word of the decision, but pledged to continue cracking down on what it calls breakaway factions that persist in violence.

The American military has continued to raid Shiite groups it says are supported and trained by Iran and have splintered from al-Sadr’s militia. That has angered some followers of al-Sadr, who also are frustrated with the Iraqi government, and they argued for an end to the cease-fire.

At least 609 Iraqi civilians and security forces died in Iraq last month, compared to 1,920 killed in January 2007.

Al-Sadr’s original surprise decision to stand down his Mahdi Army for up to six months was designed to stop a Shiite-Shiite rift from spiralling out of control and to weed out infiltrators in his militia’s ranks, according to aides of the radical Shiite cleric.

Al-Sadr issued his order to his fighters to stand down on August 29, days after deadly clashes in the holy city of Karbala between his Mahdi Army and the rival Badr militia of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, the country’s largest Shiite party and a US partner.

Involvement in inter-Shiite fighting has hurt the image of al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army, chipping away at the young cleric’s reputation as an uncompromising nationalist leader seeking to restore Iraq’s full sovereignty and undermining his bid to become a national leader.

Aides at the time said the cease-fire was designed to stop a Shiite-Shiite rift from spiralling out of control and to weed out infiltrators in his militia’s ranks.