Iraq Watch: July 8, 2006

Forces Launch Crackdown Against Al-Sadr's Militia

In an apparent crackdown aimed against Shiite militiamen, U.S. and Iraqi forces detained a unidentified "high-level insurgent leader" early Friday morning during a raid in Baghdad's Sadr City district.

Located in the eastern half of the capital, Sadr City is a downtrodden and impoverished Shiite enclave home to approximately 2.5 million residents. The district – named in honor of Muqtada al-Sadr's late father, Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr – festers with support for the maverick 33-year-old Shiite cleric.

Authorities would not identify the captured militant leader by name; however, Sadr City locals claimed the raid targeted Abu Diraa, a purported top Mahdi Army commander in Baghdad.

The pre-dawn raid was met with stiff resistance from local gunmen. A 43 minute firefight ensued shortly after the operation got under way leaving some "30-40" Iraqis either dead or wounded.

The U.S. military also announced that they, along with Iraqi troops, apprehended another senior al-Sadr associate. Adnan al-Unaybi, who was head of the Mahdi Army in Babil province, was arrested near the town of Hillah on Thursday.

The multiple raids against al-Sadr's Mahdi Army appear to be part of an initiative laid out by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in his 24-point national reconciliation plan unveiled earlier this month. Part of the plan calls for the disbanded of rogue militias who are believed to be responsible for much of the sectarian violence plaguing Iraq today.