So let me see if I have this straight....
According to our own ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, Moqtada al-Sadr's militia is so out of control that not even al-Sadr himself can control them. From Newsweek:
Under the leadership of Sadr, the Mahdi Army was considered a containable force, susceptible to political bargaining. But as Sadr has leaned toward moderation—his party now has 30 seats in the National Assembly—men fighting under his militia's banner have become more aggressive. In interviews with NEWSWEEK, Mahdi Army members, Iraqi politicians and Western officials describe an organization in which local commanders are increasingly independent from Sadr, splintering into cells of fighters committed to civil war. There are at least four offshoot Mahdi leaders in Sadr City alone; some groups are taking orders from Iran. There's similar fragmentation in the largely Shiite cities of Najaf and Basra. According to a U.S. military intel official in Najaf, Coalition forces have been attacked by individuals who get their inspiration from the Mahdi Army but are not official members—men with "an AK-47, an RPG and a Sadr poster," says the official, requesting anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity. The situation is so volatile that, according to the U.S. officials, Sadr now fears for his own safety and position.The United States is targeting militia-run death squads in the new Baghdad security operation. Meanwhile, a suicide bombing in Najaf last week brought renewed calls among some Shiite leaders for the Mahdi Army and other militias to take over more security operations. But it's difficult for the United States to turn over control to an increasingly uncontrollable force.
When they stand up, we'll stand down... Or something.
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