NAJAF, Iraq, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Mahdi Army forces in Iraq have been ordered to stand down by their commander, cleric Moqtada Sadr, until early next year, one of Sadr's aides said Wednesday.
In a statement read by senior aide Sheik Hazim al-Araji, Sadr announced he has ordered a regional cease-fire until next February and will close his political offices for the next three days, The Times of London reported.
“I direct the Mahdi Army to suspend all its activities for six months until it is restructured in a way that helps honor the principles for which it is formed,” the statement read.
Sadr did not offer an explanation for enacting the ceasefire, leading to speculation his decision may have been based on an attempt to limit violence in Iraq.
The announcement comes after 52 people were killed in the Iraqi city of Karbala this week, where Mahdi Army forces clashed with Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council soldiers.
The British newspaper said Sadr's fellow Shiite leaders have recently been vying for power in Iraq, severely disrupting the Islamic denomination's ranks.
