The New York Times reports today that Iraq Credits Iran for Helping to Curb Attacks by Militias. This is good news particularly because it might slow down the Bush Administration’s push for military action against Iran.
Speaking about Iran, he [Iraqi government’s spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh] said that that government [Iran’s] had helped to persuade the Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr to ask his Mahdi militia to halt attacks. Mr. Sadr ordered his militia to stop using weapons in early September, and officials say that the militia’s relative restraint has helped improve stability. They say it also seems to have helped decrease the frequency of attacks with explosively formed penetrators, a powerful type of bomb that can pierce heavy armor.
The article goes on to note that “Mr. Dabbagh’s comments echoed those of the American military… .”
It appears that Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki’s August visit to Iran at which he discussed such matters with Ayatollah Khamenei bore some fruit.
…I have discounted NYTimes reporting for some time, due in no small measure to their lying about Whitewater, their employment of Judith Miller to be nothing more tha a stenographer for the GWBush malAdministration leading up to the Iraq war, and–need I say it?–Jayson Blair.
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It may well be that Sadr’s Mahdi army has cut back on its attacks because it has achieved its “religious cleansing” goals in central Iraq.
it will be interesting to see what or how al-jazeera reports on this. or even a european news outlet.