Bill Roggio reports at the Long War Journal that the Iraqi Army’s operations are continuing against those Mahdi Army elements that refuse to lay down their arms. To the extent that peace has fallen, it’s because most of the Mahdi Army has obeyed al-Sadr’s call to lay down their arms.
The mainstream media seems convinced that this is a defeat for al-Maliki, but I don’t get it, at least not yet. If the Iraqi government ends as the sole military power in southern Iraq (other than the coalition), Maliki wins. The possible problem is that Sadr has been able to preserve his base of power after defeats in the past, but it looks as though Maliki may finally be wise to him.
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