Word: sadrists
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Abbas, too, complains about Sadrist-targeting in raids. "It is very clear they are targeting the movement ... All the jails are full of Sadrists," he says. "At some point, this pressure could end in an explosion. The Army of the Imam will never stop making its demands and asking for its legal rights...
...remain peaceful in order to prevent "more bloodshed" served a tactical purpose, as he began to see a losing battle in the face of an empowered Iraqi security force. Indeed, many officials allied with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government say the cleric's militia and Sadrist political movement have been substantially weakened through military crackdowns on their strongholds in Sadr City and the southern cities of Amara and Basra over the past four months. "We don't think they will try to fight again, because they are too weak now," says an Interior Ministry official. "If they start...
...Sadrists in parliament maintain their distance when speaking about the militia in public. "Of course the government is controlling Sadr City," says Sadrist MP Nasir al-Saadi. But when asked whether that means the Mahdi Army has been wiped out, he says, "The Army of the Imam [a name used interchangeably with Mahdi Army] is not only in Sadr City; it is in all of Iraq. And if [government officials] think they are few in numbers, they are dreaming...
...Sadr's movement. He blasted the American occupiers and the security deal being negotiated between the U.S. and al-Maliki's government. Worshippers laughed when asked, rhetorically, who controls the neighborhood, which is home to some 3 million of Baghdad's poor. "This area is controlled by the Sadrist movement. The Iraqi army only watches over Friday noon prayer - no more and no less," says worshipper Ali Kate'a, 31, as soldiers with rifles peered at the crowd from nearby rooftops. Says Abbas: "Of course they're nervous. They're not comfortable here...
...very strong. He made a decision to bring back security for us, and it was a good decision," says Ahmed Talib, a boat operator in the predominantly Shi'ite city of Basra in southern Iraq. "Now I think most people support Maliki." Even al-Maliki's rivals among the Sadrists praised his latest suggestion of a timetable. "Maliki's announcement reached me yesterday. It was a good announcement, and we salute him," the head of the Sadrist political office, Lewa Smiesem, told TIME. "But I have to emphasize again that there must be a clear vision from the Iraqi government...