Al Sadr trying to regain control of militia in new tactic

Baghdad: Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr's recent decisions show he is pursuing a twin strategy - trying to regain control of his militia and avoiding confrontation with the government.

Al Sadr, an influential anti-American cleric in his 30s, has at times appeared on the verge of declaring war on security forces following crackdowns on his Mahdi Army militia in the southern city of Basra and in Baghdad.

But on Friday, Al Sadr said only a select group of his Mahdi Army would confront US troops - not Iraqi forces - while the rest should focus on political and cultural work. That effectively disarms most of his unwieldy militia, which has tens of thousands of fighters.

Meanwhile, over the weekend, Al Sadr's aides said the group's political movement would not compete in provincial elections later this year under its own slate but join other groups and ask its followers to vote for those candidates.

That could allow the Sadrist bloc to skirt a draft election law that bans any party with a militia from competing and possibly avoid a row with Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki over the issue. Al Maliki, himself a Shiite, has threatened to bar the movement from political life unless it disbanded the Mahdi Army.

Alternatives

"They are looking for alternatives to remain on the scene. And this is a very important point because there are real attempts by the government to marginalise the Sadrists," said Kadhum Al Muqdadi, an Iraqi political analyst.

While Al Sadr is rarely seen in public and is believed to spend most of his time in Iran, he is never far from the news.

The cleric launched two uprisings against US forces in 2004. He backed Al Maliki's rise to power in 2006 but then split with him early last year when the prime minister refused to set a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops.