The six weeks old Baghdad troop surge has been accompanied by a steep decline of violence in the city, but according to the Washington Post, it's really just a coincidence. The normalcy that has returned to Sadr City is due solely to the power of Moqtada al Sadr, says Sudarsan Raghavan, even though Sadr's whereabouts are unknown at the moment.
As the United States and Iraq proceed with a six-week-old security offensive to pacify the capital, Sadr's black-clad fighters have melted away. His advisers have fled to evade arrest. His own whereabouts are contested. U.S. intelligence officials say elements of his Mahdi Army militia have splintered off beyond his control.
Yet nowhere is Sadr's power more visible than in the sprawling district in eastern Baghdad that bears his family's name. Through legacy, symbolism and money, he has built up his street credentials by helping and protecting Iraq's Shiite majority. His militiamen have made Sadr City into the safest, most homogenous enclave in a capital scarred by war and ruled by a fragile government. It often appears to operate like a separate nation, where Sadr's words carry the weight of law.
Ever careful to avoid crediting George Bush with any hand in the apparent early success of the surge strategy, the Post has come up with a plausible alternative explanation for it -- one that will reassure loyal readers who would otherwise be distraught. Breath easy people. It's not a Bush success after all. Whew! That was close!
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