Al-Sadr Tells Mahdi Army to Stand Down

Radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has called for a six-month suspension of activity by his Mahdi Army to reorganize the force. The hostile group has splintered into multiple factions recently, some of which may be trained and supplied by Iran.

The order comes after bloody clashes in the Shiite holy city of Karbala; al-Sadr, who has repeatedly denounced violence against US troops, denies that the Mahdi Army was involved in the fighting there, and is urging his followers to cooperate with authorities to defuse the situation. He says the freeze was timed to "safeguard the ideological image" of the group. (More Mahdi Army stories.)