I Walk the Line (ft/ Moqtada Sadr)
Good piece from Tina Susman in the Los Angeles Times about the military’s skittish and ambivalent attitude toward the Mahdi Army. In my interview with Petraeus yesterday, the general denied credit to the Sadrists for their social-service achievements, saying that Sadr hijacked government hospitals and such, while drawing the distinction between the Sadrist Current (good) and the Mahdi Army (bad). It’s a distinction I’m ambivalent about: on the one hand, it’s a sensible counterinsurgency/diplomatic move; on the other, I doubt it describes the Sadrist Current as it .
According to Susman’s piece, company and platoon commanders in Baghdad see it the latter way:
“„“The Mahdi militia is a political organization,” said Army Capt. Alan Boyes, whose base is a former butcher’s shop in Sadr City’s Jamila neighborhood. “Now, do I believe political groups should have militias? No, but that’s the way things are in Iraq.”
“„Whatever their commanders call Sadr supporters, U.S. troops on the battle-worn streets of Sadr City are not as inclined to steer clear of blaming the violence on Sadr and the Mahdi Army, commonly referred to by its Arabic-based acronym, JAM.
“„They say the political roots cited by military officials as a positive element of JAM are what make the group dangerous.
“„“They’re in the government. They’re amongst the people you work with every day,” said Army 1st Lt. Matt Vigeant, who considers the Mahdi Army a far greater challenge to U.S. forces than the Sunni insurgent group Al Qaeda in Iraq. “JAM has that popular base that AQI does not.”
