BAGHDAD, April 8 (UPI) -- The twice-defeated militia of Iraq's firebrand Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr is slowly re-establishing a presence in the south of the country.
In cities like Nasiriyah, Basra and Amarah, all south of the capital and all patrolled by foreign forces allied with the United States, hundreds of rag-tag Islamists swear fealty to Sadr, the Washington Post reported Friday.
The so-called Mehdi Army is widely viewed as the force that can put more armed men on Basra's streets than any other militia, and in Nasiriyah it has struck an alliance with the secular police chief, who views the group as a counterweight to other militias.
"The silent majority is not with him, but the majority of active people are," said Ayatollah Mohammed Taqi Mudarrassi, a cleric in Karbala, referring to Sadr. "If you count the ballot boxes, the balance is with the moderates. If you count those in the streets, it's the opposite."
Although U.S. coalition forces have twice beaten Sadr's militia in shooting conflicts, coalition leaders are keeping a wary eye on the movement.
