Shocker: Sadr’s Thugs Call For New Ceasefire

From their aggravated allies at Reuters:

The body of a Mehdi army fighter who was killed in Sadr City during clashes, lies on the ground during burial in a cemetery in [the holy city of] Najaf, south of Baghdad May 10, 2008.

Iraqi factions agree to end Baghdad fighting

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Shi’ite factions on Saturday reached a deal to end fighting between militia and security forces in the Baghdad bastion of Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr that has killed hundreds of people, officials said…

“Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has approved this agreement,” government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said. “The Iraqi government calls on all parties to commit to this deal, to be calm and show self-restraint.” …

Dabbagh said the agreement called for militiamen to hand in their medium and heavy weapons…

Sadr spokesman Salah al-Ubaidi told Reuters he expected the pact to take effect either on Saturday night or Sunday with a total halt to all Iraqi military activity for four days…

Bahaa al-Araji, a parliamentarian from Sadr’s movement, said the faction wanted no U.S. troops there. Most U.S. ground troops have stayed in an area around the southern portion of the slum…

Ubaidi said the agreement called for aid to be delivered to residents and roads opened. After the four-day ceasefire, Iraqi forces could enter Sadr City and detain anyone they wanted if they had an arrest warrant, he said.

Asked if Sadr’s supporters would adhere to the agreement, Ubaidi said: “I expect they will. But look, the government has made promises before, but not fulfilled these promises. This may have an impact on the fighters.”

Ubaidi said he expected Sadr to issue a statement ordering a halt to fighting. Sadr is believed to be in Iran taking advanced Islamic studies and has not been seen in public for a year…

Sadr threatened last month to formally scrap a truce he imposed on the Mehdi Army in August unless the government halted its crackdown. A few weeks later he told the militia to observe the truce — which has at times seemed irrelevant — leaving Iraqis guessing over his true intentions.

The cleric originally declared the truce in August to weed out rogue elements of the militia.

The pattern seems to be on even numbered days these bravos call for relentless and unceasing jihad. Then, on odd numbered days, they call for a ceasefire.

And Muslim holy days (which are innumerable) are anybody’s guess.

Sadr is believed to be in Iran taking advanced Islamic studies…

You see, Mr. Sadr is not a coward.

He is just very pious.

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