Iraqi security forces battle the Mahdi Army

Honesty from the Battle for Iraq. Refreshing to get a real assessment instead of the spun version the Media feeds us.

Iraqi security forces battle the Mahdi Army - The Long War Journal: "The clashes with the Mahdi Army come just weeks after Muqtada al Sadr admitted failure in Iraq. 'So far I did not succeed either to liberate Iraq or make it an Islamic society — whether because of my own inability or the inability of society, only God knows,' Sadr wrote to his followers. 'The continued presence of the occupiers, on the one hand, and the disobedience of many on the other, pushed me to isolate myself in protest. I gave society a big proportion of my life. Even my body became weaker, I got more sicknesses.'

Sadr declared an extension of his unilateral cease-fire on Feb. 22 after the US military and the Iraqi government brought significant political and military pressure on the Sadrist bloc and the 'rogue' elements of the Mahdi Army. This decision caused sharp divisions inside the Sadrist movement and the Mahdi Army, with some politicians and military commanders vowing to fight the US military and the Iraqi government.

Sadr's Mahdi Army has been formed by Iran's Qods Force along the lines of Lebanese Hezbollah. Imad Mugniyah, the senior Hezbollah military commander who was killed in Syria in February, was among those behind the formation and training of the Mahdi Army. Iran established the Ramazan Corps to run weapons, fighters, and support to the Special Groups, whi"