Anti-US cleric Muqtada al-Sadr whose Mahdi Army militia was blamed for much of the violence in Iraq prior to a cease fire he called six months ago, has hinted that the cease fire will expire on Saturday and his militia will take to the streets:Al-Sadr's Shiite Mahdi Army is among the most powerful militias in Iraq, and the cease-fire he ordered last August has been credited with helping reduce violence around Iraq by 60 percent or more in the past six months. Sheik Salah al-Obeidi, a spokesman for al-Sadr in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, said that if the cleric failed to issue a statement by Saturday saying that the cease-fire was extended, "then that means the freeze is over." Al-Sadr's followers would be free to resume attacks. On an Internet site representing al-Sadr, al-Obeidi said that al-Sadr "either will announce the extension or will stay silent and not announce anything. If stays silent, that means that the freeze is over." Al-Obeidi said...(Read Full Post)