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Militants say Maliki abandoned them

They say he no longer protects the Mahdi Army.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published January 19, 2007

BAGHDAD - Two Shiite militia commanders said Thursday that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has stopped protecting radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Madhi Army under pressure from Washington, while the fighters described themselves as under siege in their Sadr City stronghold.

The commanders spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

Their account of an organization now fighting for its very existence could represent a tactical and propaganda feint, but there was mounting evidence the militia is increasingly off balance and has ordered its gunmen to melt back into the population. To avoid capture, commanders report no longer using cell phones and fighters are removing their black uniforms and hiding their weapons during the day.

On Wednesday, the prime minister said 400 Mahdi Army fighters had been detained in recent months, although no exact timeframe was given.

During much of his nearly eight months in office, Maliki, who relies on Sadr's political backing, has blocked or ordered an end to many U.S.-led operations against the Mahdi Army.

But Maliki reportedly had a change of heart in late November while going into a meeting in Jordan with President Bush. It has since been disclosed that the Iraqi leader's vision for a new security plan for Baghdad, to which Bush has committed 17,500 additional U.S. troops, was outlined in that meeting.

Maliki is said by aides to have told Bush that he wanted the Iraqi army and police to be in the lead but that he would no longer interfere to prevent U.S. attempts to roll up the Mahdi Army.

Also Thursday

VIOLENCE: Police reported a total of 59 people killed or found dead, with the single largest toll from a triple car bombing that killed 10 in a wholesale vegetable market in a south Baghdad Shiite neighborhood. Twenty-seven bodies were found dumped in Baghdad.

TRIAL: More than 100 former members of Saddam Hussein's regime will stand trial this year in connection with the deaths of tens of thousands of Shiite Muslims during an uprising after the 1991 Persian Gulf War, prosecutor Jaafar al-Moussawi said. Hussein is among the 102 accused.

LEGISLATION: The long-awaited hydrocarbons law, which could attract investments from foreign oil companies, has been drafted and will be submitted to the Cabinet next week, the Oil Ministry said Thursday. A spokesman expressed hope the legislation could be ratified within a month.

[Last modified January 19, 2007, 01:03:12]