More Iraq War

• Military tours in Iraq to be shortened
• U.S. base in Iraq hit
• Britain releases Iraq dossier draft

MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
  08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008
• Congressman is indicted
  08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Series of attacks target Green Zone
  08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Iran is defying U.N., agency says
  08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Waterboarding approval probed
  08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008

TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

• Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
• Is Rome Burning?
• Ominous Skies
• The Road to Invalidation
• Albuquerque company participates in “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

Anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced today that he has extended a cease-fire order to his Shiite Mahdi Army by another six months, giving Iraq a chance to continue its fragile recovery from brutal sectarian violence.

His message was delivered by Shiite clerics during prayer services in mosques dominated by followers of the cleric.

"According to an order by Sayyid Muqtada, activities of the Mahdi Army will be suspended . . . for another six-month period," al-Sadr's aide Hazim al-Aaraji said, using an honorific for al-Sadr during his sermon at the Kazimiyah mosque in Baghdad.

Meanwhile, Turkish troops launched a ground incursion across the border into northern Iraq in pursuit of separatist Kurdish rebels, the military said today — a move that dramatically escalates Turkey's conflict with the militants.

It is the first confirmed ground operation by the Turkish military into Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, and it raised concerns that it could trigger a wider conflict with the U.S.-backed Iraqi Kurds.

The ground incursion was backed by the Turkish air force.

In Baghdad, a bomb hidden under a horse-drawn cart exploded in the downtown area today, killing three civilians, police said. In Tikrit, 80 miles north of Baghdad, two policemen died when a booby-trapped car exploded.

The blasts also wounded 10 people.

Al-Sadr's decision to halt the activities of his powerful militia for up to six months last August was one of three critical steps widely credited with bringing the Iraqi death toll down more than 60 percent in recent months.

The other pieces of the puzzle are the U.S. troop surge and the move by U.S.-backed Sunni fighters to switch allegiances and start working against the al-Qaida in Iraq terrorist group.

The U.S. military welcomed initial word of today's decision, but pledged to continue cracking down on what it calls breakaway factions that persist in violence.

"Those who continue to honor al-Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr's pledge will be treated with respect and restraint," the U.S. military said in a statement. "Coalition and Iraqi security forces will continue to work closely with the Iraqi people to protect them from these criminals who violate the law and dishonor the commitment made by al-Sayyid Muqtada."

The military also said it was open to dialogue with the Sadrists and "all groups who seek to bring about reconciliation in building the new Iraq."

The American military has continued to raid Shiite groups it says are supported and trained by Iran and have splintered off from al-Sadr's militia. That's angered some followers of al-Sadr, who also are frustrated with the Iraqi government, and they had argued for an end to the cease-fire.

According to an Associated Press count, at least 609 Iraqi civilians and security forces died in Iraq last month, compared to 1,920 killed in January 2007.

Al-Sadr issued his order to his fighters to stand down Aug. 29, days after deadly clashes in the holy city of Karbala between his Mahdi Army and the rival Badr militia of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, the country's largest Shiite party and a U.S. partner.

Involvement in fighting among Shiites was chipping away at the young cleric's reputation as an uncompromising nationalist leader seeking to restore Iraq's full sovereignty and undermining his bid to become a national leader.

Aides at the time said the cease-fire was designed to stop a Shiite-Shiite rift from spiraling out of control and to weed out infiltrators in his militia's ranks.