Sadr militia won't resist Iraq offensive

AMARAH, Iraq, June 18 (UPI) -- Iraqi officials say radical Shiite militias have agreed to let the government retake control of a provincial capital without a fight.

Forces loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr have told Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki they won't offer resistance when an expected offensive to take control of Amarah, capital of Maysan province, begins this week, USA Today reported Wednesday.

In a change of strategy, the Iraqi government gave ample warning to Sadr's militia forces they were coming to retake the city, which until recently had been in control of the militants. An Iraqi military official told the newspaper militia commanders decided not to fight and ordered their soldiers to pull improvised explosive devices out of the ground.

The Iraqi official told USA Today that Sadr's forces have indicated they won't resist the military operation in Amarah only as long as the government refrains from human rights violations and doesn't arrest suspects without warrants.