Shiite cleric al-Sadr's loyal militia can swell to 6,000 fighters, U.S. says

By The Chicago tribune and The Associated Press

	SCOTT NELSON / GETTY IMAGES An Iraqi woman soldier of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's al-Mahdi Army stands with a rifle outside the headquarters of his organization yesterday in Sadr City, a slum in Baghdad, Iraq.
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Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt told MSNBC in Baghdad that al-Sadr's force numbered about 600 "hard-core" fighters and can swell to 6,000.

Across the rest of the country, however, mostly south of Baghdad down to Nasiriyah, thousands more are said to be committed to al-Sadr. And they have taken over whole sections of cities and towns, despite opposition from occupation forces.

By inflicting scores of casualties on U.S. and allied troops, including a dozen fatalities, the militia fighters have "shown Iraqis they can stand up to the occupiers," a young Shiite man said yesterday in Baghdad.

They also have won a modicum of respect for the al-Mahdi Army, even from those Shiites who reject the 30-year-old cleric's confrontational tactics.

"Do not dismiss Sadr's fighters," said Hamed Ali Al-Barani, who opened his shop in Baghdad yesterday. "Many Iraqi people have demands. They are looking for the Americans to deliver on their promises, and so maybe there is no more patience right now. They want to support this."

Militia's messianic image Radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr summoned one of Shiite Islam's most messianic images when he chose the name al-Mahdi Army for his militia. • The mahdi is believed to be the successor to Muhammad, who will return to save the world. • The word isn't mentioned in the Quran or in the collected sayings attributed to Muhammad, known as the hadiths. But the term is common to both Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam as the term for a leader who will bring righteousness to the world. • The title means "the divinely guided one" but refers to differing concepts, depending on the believer. Some Muslims believe the mahdi will come in conjunction with the second coming of Jesus. • For the largest branch of Shiites, however, the mahdi is the 12th imam, or leader of the Muslim faith, who is said to have gone into hiding in the ninth century and who Shiites believe is still alive and will return at the day of judgment. Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services

Publicly, al-Sadr has called for his supporters to be "calm and quiet," as an imam loyal to al-Sadr said repeatedly yesterday during an interview.

"But if the Americans move against Muqtada, we are going to burn the ground under their feet," said Ahmed Al-Jibouri, a 34-year-old taxi driver.

U.S. military officials worry that the Shiite forces will team up with the more experienced and sophisticated Sunni guerrillas who now are battling the Marines in Fallujah and Ramadi.

After Saddam's fall, al-Sadr and dozens of junior clerics moved quickly to restore services and provide security — thereby fueling their popularity.

However, many residents say the militiamen use intimidation and violence.

Over the past year, al-Mahdi Army fighters assumed control of security during religious occasions in Sadr City and clashed repeatedly with backers of rival clerics. Al-Sadr also organized the branches in the south, even though many Shiites favor older, more moderate clerics.

"It's a gang of criminals," said Hussein Abu Nashaat, who runs an auto-repair shop in Sadr City. Such sentiments are not universal, and the militia's attacks against U.S. forces have resonated with Sadr City residents frustrated by the occupation.

"These Americans must leave, and I am with anyone who's trying to achieve that," said Ali Hussein, an auto mechanic.

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