Powerful Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr extended his Mehdi Army militia ceasefire by around six months on Friday, according to a statement read out on his behalf in a mosque in Baghdad.The move is likely to be widely welcomed by U.S. and Iraqi officials, who say the initial six-month truce helped to sharply reduce attacks on U.S. and Iraqi troops as well as tit-for-tat sectarian violence in Iraq.
So, you mean, it’s not the “surge” that worked, but the fact that al-Sadr’s armies are taking a break?
Sadr's decision could prove vital in determining whether the security gains can be maintained, thus allowing the U.S. military to continue withdrawing soldiers beyond the more than 20,000 that are scheduled to be leave by July.
We may need another “surge” before the last one ebbs.
Oh, and…
Turkish troops launched a ground incursion across the border into Iraq in pursuit of separatist Kurdish rebels, the military said Friday — a move that dramatically escalates Turkey's conflict with the militants.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
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