I'm not exactly sure what radical anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has in mind by suspending military operations for 6 months but it could very well be that he has lost considerable control over his Mahdi Militia as factions loyal to Iran carry out attacks against Americans and kill innocent Sunnis:"We declare the freezing of the Mahdi Army without exception in order to rehabilitate it in a way that will safeguard its ideological image within a maximum period of six months starting from the day this statement is issued," al-Araji said, reading from a statement by al-Sadr. In Najaf, al-Sadr's spokesman said the order also means the Mahdi Army will no longer launch attacks against U.S. and other coalition forces. "It also includes suspending the taking up of arms against occupiers as well as others," Ahmed al-Shaibani told reporters.The announcement comes a day after fierce clashes broke out in Karbala between al-Sadr's group and the Badr Organization....(Read Full Post)