Filling a void, Iraqi militias assert authority

[Eugene]

Filling a void, Iraqi militias assert authority
Outlawed units expand reach

By Thanassis Cambanis, Globe Staff | March 6, 2006

BAGHDAD -- In the ranks of the Mahdi Army militia, the deadly sectarian fighting that took Iraq
to the verge of civil war wasn't so much a crisis as an opportunity.

Thousands of Mahdi fighters loyal to firebrand Shi'ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr seized mosques
and stormed through Sunni neighborhoods in a show of force that emphasized the wide extent of Sadr's
political influence and his ability to provoke mayhem.

The week of lethal disarray that followed the destruction of a Shi'ite shrine in Samarra on Feb. 22
revealed just how much ground the Shi'ite militias have gained during the years they have been
officially outlawed.

<snip>

Since the first US occupation officials took control in 2003, every authority running Iraq has
promised to disarm the pervasive militias that control vast portions of the country. The failure
to do so is a testament to two trends: the increasing sophistication of militias such as the Mahdi
Army and the Badr Organization -- the militia of the Shi'ite political party the Supreme Council for
Islamic Revolution in Iraq -- and the continuing weakness of the Iraqi Army and police, who are
supervised and trained by US forces.

<snip>

Full article: http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2006/03/06/filling_a_void_iraqi_militias_assert_authority
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