Shifting dynamics leave Sadrists the occupation's chief foe, reports Saad Abdel-Wahab from Baghdad The strife in Iraq has become not only Shia- Sunni, but Shia-Shia and Sunni-Sunni. The Shia parties are fighting for their personal interests, especially in Basra, to gain seats in the provincial elections due to be held in October. The dispute is very clear between the Mahdi Army, headed by Muqtada Al-Sadr, and the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC), headed by Abdul-Aziz Al-Hakim. The Sadrists didn't participate in the last provincial council, leaving SIIC in formal control in southern Iraq. Some political observers believe that the battle of the provincial elections has already started between the Shia parties. The rivals appear to be trying to assassinate prominent figures of the other side. The Sadrists think that the Iraqi government wants to eliminate them before the elections. They claim the last battle of Basra, led by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki himself, was the beginning of this campaign to eliminate leading members of Sadr's movement. The government's siege of Sadr City in eastern Baghdad, the main stronghold of Sadrists, is another example of this policy. US and Iraqi officials have insisted the crackdown is directed at criminal gangs and splinter groups supported by Iran. The Iraqi government made some amendments in the draft of the elections, including a measure barring political parties with militias from participating, the latest step in the government's bid to isolate radical Shia cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr. Al-Maliki threatened to prevent Al-Sadr's followers from participating in the local vote unless he disbands his Mahdi Army. The Iraqi cabinet agreed to add language to a draft election bill that would prevent parties that operate militias from fielding candidates in the vote, government spokesman Ali Al-Dabbagh said, without mentioning any group by name. He said the draft amendment would be sent for consideration to the 275-member parliament within the next two days. A controversial law paving the way for voters to choose new leaders of Iraq's 18 provinces was approved last month under strong US pressure, but only after agreement was reached for amendments to be considered at a later date. The Bush administration has pressed Iraqi leaders to overcome their differences and take advantage of a calm in violence to make progress in power- sharing deals to heal sectarian and ethnic divisions. The cleric's followers are eager for elections, hoping to take power away from rival Shia parties in the vast, oil-rich Shia heartland of southern Iraq. Al-Sadr controls 30 parliamentary seats, a substantial figure but not enough to block legislation. All major political parties are believed to maintain links to armed groups, although none acknowledge it. Some groups, including militias of Al-Maliki's Daawa Party and Al-Sadr's chief rival SIIC, have been integrated into the government security services. The militia issue has taken on new urgency after Al-Maliki launched a major operation 25 March against Shia extremists in Basra, and fighting quickly spread to Baghdad's Sadr City. Iraq's government moved to restore discipline within the ranks of the security forces, sacking more than 1,300 soldiers and policemen who deserted during the recent fighting against Shia militias in Basra. Those soldiers and policemen were sympathetic with the lawbreakers, refusing to participate in the crackdown for political, national, sectarian or religious reasons. But Shia cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr demanded the next day that the Iraqi government reinstate all security forces fired for deserting during fighting in Basra. He said in a statement issued by his office in the holy city of Najaf that those who gave up their arms "were only obeying their religious leaders" and "were driven by their religious duty", that they should be reinstated and even rewarded for their loyalty. Muqtada Al-Sadr, who is believed to be in Iran, repeated last Saturday his demand for American soldiers to leave the country and urged his fighters not to target fellow Iraqis "unless they are helping the occupation". Despite the strident rhetoric, however, there were signs that Al-Sadr was trying to calm his militia to avoid an all-out war with the Americans. Sadr City and Al-Shoala are the main strongholds of Sadrists in the capital, and the Iraqi government and American troops are trying to eradicate the medium and heavy weapons from these areas. The US-protected Green Zone, which houses the US and British embassies and much of Iraq's government in Baghdad, is hit on a daily basis by rockets and mortar rounds from eastern Baghdad. The American troops use airstrikes to hit the armed groups in Sadr City which have been surrounded for two weeks now, to try to force these groups to hand over their medium and heavy weapons.
