Will Sadr gain from Amarah offensive?

AMARAH, Iraq, June 19 (UPI) -- Iraqi forces met little resistance Thursday in operations in Amarah, but that may be to the credit of Moqtada Sadr and not the strength of the military.

Sadr and his political party, the Sadrist Movement, have retooled their political and military strategy in order to neutralize attacks by Iraqi forces in campaigns targeting militias in Shiite strongholds in southern Iraq, the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram Weekly said Thursday.

Sadrist forces so far have avoided skirmishes with U.S. and Iraqi forces ahead of the Amarah offensive. The Sadrist movement also suppressed renegade fighters from within its ranks and embraced a more peaceful tone by seeking out political alliances with the various Shiite parties ahead of the provincial elections schedule for this fall.

Sadr loyalists said Monday they would not resist Iraqi military forces so long as Iraqi troops exercised restraint during operations in Amarah. The move follows a weekend decree from Baghdad giving militias a June 18 deadline to disarm.

A Sadrist official in Baghdad, who spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity, said their forces would not resist Iraqi forces in Amarah, but added the offensive was a distraction from the broader concerns over the status of forces agreement between Iraq and the United States.

"The government is trying to flex its muscles by targeting the Mehdi Army fighters, and our response is that we are sending a clear message to the Iraqi people that we want peace," he said, adding Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki risks losing support from Iraqi citizens "who were misguided by security gains, especially when he signs the shameful security agreement with the Americans."