Muqtada al-Sadr, who only weeks ago when the uprising in Bashra began was being painted as the victor in his struggle with the Iraqi Government by the media, not only has had his "peace offering" rejected, but the Iraqi Government is more determined than ever to root out his militia.
Iraqi forces will battle militiamen in Sadr City relentlessly until the sprawling Shiite district of east Baghdad has been cleared of gunmen, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh vowed on Sunday.
"We will continue until we secure Sadr City. We will not come out, we will not give up until the people of Sadr City have a normal life," Dabbagh told AFP.
"(The security forces) will do what they have to do to secure the area. I can't tell you how many days or how many months but they will not come out until they have secured Sadr City."
And the fighting continued in the Sadr City area of Baghdad even while Basra is being put back together
Days after intense fighting, and the call to peace from Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr March 30, Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers patrol the outskirts of Sadr City, a district of Baghdad, ensuring the safety of the city’s residents.
Sadr City has been the backdrop of many conflicts for Coalition forces since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. The city is the poorest of all the Bagdad districts and has historically been a safe haven for terrorists.
The Soldiers from Company A and a platoon from Company B, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, attached to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, MND-B are tired, dirty, and work 24-hours a day with only cat naps to sustain them, but they relentlessly take to the streets in their mission to drive terrorists out of the area.
What began as a 96-hour tasking on March 26 turned into an open ended mission.
Capt. Scott Bailey, Company A commander, said the mission in support of combat operations was a success.
“We had some significant contact when we first arrived,” said Bailey, a Running Springs, Calif., native, “but we planned good company attacks and now it is pretty quiet here.”
Sadr himself, after being snubbed in his efforts to save his "army" is now being belligerent
Radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr says he will not enter any political process that would allow U.S. forces to remain in Iraq.
Al-Sadr also denounces U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates as a terrorist and says he will never work with Iraq's occupiers.
But Secretary Gates recognizes Sadr's role in Iraq even if Sadr himself won't admit it
On Friday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said al-Sadr was a significant political player due to his large following in Iraq's Shiite community. Gates also called on al-Sadr to take part in the political process.
But when the last of Sadr's militants are disarmed, all that will be left are the politicians and Sadr will have no choice but to become one himself, or leave the stage altogether.
My guess is, he can not resist having an audience.
