US can’t stop bombers, says al-Sadr

A powerful Shi’ite militia leader bitterly complained that “car bombs continue to explode” despite an ongoing security crackdown in Baghdad...

A powerful Shi’ite militia leader bitterly complained that “car bombs continue to explode” despite an ongoing security crackdown in Baghdad — which was hit hard again by attacks including a suicide bombing killing at least 41 people outside a business college.

The statement issued on Sunday in the name of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr could signal serious strains in a major US-Iraqi security sweeps aimed at restoring order in the capital.

Al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army militia pulled its fighters off the streets under government pressure to let the 12-day-old security plan move forward. But a relentless wave of Sunni attacks — six alone in the Baghdad area on Sunday — has tested al-Sadr’s patience as well as many ordinary Shi’ites.

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A return to the streets by the Mahdi Army forces could effectively kill the security effort and raise the chances of Baghdad falling into sectarian street battles — the apparent aim of Sunni extremists seeking any way to destroy the US-backed government.

“Here we are, watching car bombs continue to explode to harvest thousands of innocent lives from our beloved people in the middle of a security plan controlled by an occupier,” said a statement read by an al-Sadr aide.

Al-Sadr is no friend of Washington and his forces fought fierce battles against US troops in 2004. But he’s allowed the Iraqi political process to move forward to avoid strains with PM Nouri al-Maliki and the Shi’ite leadership.

The statement was highly critical of the US role in the security plan and urged leaders to “make your own Iraqi (security) plans.”

–BRIAN MURPHY