Al-Sadr tells militia to lay off U.S. forces

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered his militia not to confront U.S. forces and has endorsed negotiations aimed at easing the deployment of American troops in his strongholds, according to Sadrist and other Shiite officials.

Ahead of a planned surge of 21,500 U.S. troops intended to secure Baghdad, the cleric has instructed his al-Mahdi Army, recently described by the Pentagon as the biggest single threat to a stable Iraq, to keep a low profile and stay off the streets, Sadr officials say.

A deal with the supporters of the fiercely anti-American cleric would temper U.S. military commanders' concern that any attempt to secure Baghdad will inevitably lead to a showdown with Iraq's biggest private army. In 2004, the U.S. military fought bloody battles with the al-Mahdi Army in Najaf and in Sadr City, a sprawling Shiite enclave in Baghdad, and has since steered clear of direct confrontations with the militia.

The Sadrist movement has given its blessing to an initiative led by one of two mayors of Sadr City to negotiate terms under which U.S. forces will be able to deploy freely there.

If the negotiations succeed, U.S. forces will be welcome in Sadr City, the Mahdi Army stronghold that has witnessed two previous battles between U.S. troops and the Shiite militia, said Rahim al-Daraji, the mayor of the southern half of Sadr City. Al-Daraji said he has been authorized to negotiate on behalf of the Mahdi Army and other Shiite factions.

"It will mean any U.S. soldier will be as welcome in Sadr City as any Iraqi citizen," said al-Daraji, who said he is politically independent. "He will be able to walk safely in Sadr City, sit in any restaurant he likes, and he can help in reconstructing the city."

Al-Daraji says he has met with coalition military and U.S. Embassy officials three times since President Bush's revised strategy for Iraq was announced. The U.S. Embassy declined to confirm or deny that the meetings had taken place.

"U.S. Embassy officials meet with those who have an interest in Iraqi affairs on a routine basis. We do not generally disclose the substance of those meetings," embassy spokesman Lou Fintor said.

Jamal al-Shammari, a senior Sadr official in Baghdad, said the Sadrist movement refused to enter into direct negotiations with the U.S. but approved of "indirect negotiations" that would avert confrontation between the Mahdi Army and U.S. forces.

"There are strict orders to Sadr followers by their leaders to support the new security plan and not to clash with U.S. or Iraqi security forces," he said.