Report: Mehdi Army losing grip on Iraq

BAGHDAD, July 27 (UPI) -- The power and influence of the Mehdi Army and its leader, radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr, are waning in Iraq, local residents say.

In interviews with residents of the Mehdi Army's stronghold, Baghdad's Sadr City slum, The New York Times reported Sunday former supporters have switched allegiances to back sweeps by the U.S. military meant to dislodge Sadr's support.

The newspaper said the reported shift would make permanent the writ of the national Iraqi government headed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in areas formerly controlled by the Mehdi Army.

The Times said it reached its conclusions after conducting interviews with 17 Iraqis, including "municipal officials, gas station workers and residents," who confirmed reports of Sadr's slipping grip on the local economy, infrastructure and police.