Curiouser and Curiouser

Friends,
Are the Iraqis going to let us go softly into the wind? This seemed impossible just weeks ago. But, the new "accord", fitting, by the way, Senator Obama's timetable, might give us a relatively quiet disembarking. All the Iraqis understand that when the U.S. leaves, is when you want your army to be powerful. This is when the country will be cut and slashed. But at least by Iraqis. Maybe they will rest-up for the upcoming sectarian battles. We could be so lucky.

Peace and Love,
Rev O

Sadrists Are Told to Join Unarmed Wing New York Times

"Mr. Obaidi said the militia had not carried out any attacks yet, but was “playing the role of the spectator” as it awaited the outcome of negotiations between Iraq and the United States over the terms and timing of a withdrawal of American troops."

"The division of the Sadrist movement, he told Reuters, “should not be considered an end to the Mahdi Army, but it’s a halfway step to dissolving the Mahdi Army.”"

“If the U.S. began to implement a withdrawal timetable,” he added, “we shall complete the path to dissolution.” (note: Yah, right, dissolution, sure. Which way is out of here?)

"Mr. Sadr’s reorganization of his movement includes consolidation of its already sizable social network in a manner similar to that of other Islamist groups in the Middle East, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories."
"The Mahdi Army’s operations are being increasingly curtailed by American and Iraqi military operations in Sadrist strongholds like Basra, Amara and the Sadr City neighborhood in Baghdad."

"It is uncertain how large the new core of the Mahdi Army will be and whether some fighters will agree to move to the religious and cultural side of the movement."
"Abu Ahmed, a senior Mahdi Army commander, said over the telephone: “We always obey orders from Najaf, but in this case we expect there are many members of the Mahdi Army who will reject this order.”

Sadrists Are Told to Join Unarmed Wing New York Times