The car that came to pick me up from Basra two weeks ago was delayed because of clashes between militias and government forces. Those clashes turned into battles when government forces were sent from the capital to deal with the militias. The Sadrists want to negotiate by sending a delegation to Baghdad on the condition that the Prime Minister, who is overseeing the operations, leaves Basra. Noori Al-Maliki has warned the militias in Basra that if they do not lay down their arms within a 72 hour deadline they will face the consequences.
Things in Najaf are quite different. In the mornings and evenings everyone is out and about, almost all the shops are open and cars fill the streets. Everything on the surface seems normal but everyone here is on high alert and almost waiting for the situation to escalate. Yesterday in the "Medina" street shots were fired not far from the holy shrine and today a mortar landed near a police station in Hay Al-Jumhoori. In Hay Al-Sa'ad there were clashes on Monday and Tuesday between police and unknown gunmen.
In Kufa, which is a stronghold of the Mehdi Army, I have been going every other night for the past two weeks and it seems to be getting emptier every time I go. Two days ago there was a car chase that was straight from a Hollywood gangster movie, a police pick-up truck was chasing and firing shots at an unlicensed car which sped off towards the outskirts and Kufa. Although there are many police checkpoints in Kufa, most of the police there are either loyal to Moqtada Al-Sadr (it is not uncommon to see the checkpoints adorned with pictures of Moqtada and his father) or they simply look the other way when members of the Mehdi Army move around the town.
The curfew in Najaf a few weeks ago was from 1:00am which has now changed to 12:00am but yesterday we were not allowed to enter the city center ("wilaya") at 11:40pm and the police officer manning the checkpoint told us "Even if I let you through the army patrols will show no mercy". A friend of mine was able to get in touch with an Iraqi intelligence agent who was in Najaf preparing a visit for the Interior Minister but that has now been canceled because 'things will not stay calm for much longer and there could possibly be a mass protest in Najaf by the Mehdi Army".
There is no doubt that the Mehdi Army since the last four years has weakened both in terms of support and strength but the reality is that it only takes a few dozen gunmen to cause mayhem and destruction to a city like Najaf which, by the way, is the safest city in Iraq (excluding Kurdistan of course).
Things in Najaf are quite different. In the mornings and evenings everyone is out and about, almost all the shops are open and cars fill the streets. Everything on the surface seems normal but everyone here is on high alert and almost waiting for the situation to escalate. Yesterday in the "Medina" street shots were fired not far from the holy shrine and today a mortar landed near a police station in Hay Al-Jumhoori. In Hay Al-Sa'ad there were clashes on Monday and Tuesday between police and unknown gunmen.
In Kufa, which is a stronghold of the Mehdi Army, I have been going every other night for the past two weeks and it seems to be getting emptier every time I go. Two days ago there was a car chase that was straight from a Hollywood gangster movie, a police pick-up truck was chasing and firing shots at an unlicensed car which sped off towards the outskirts and Kufa. Although there are many police checkpoints in Kufa, most of the police there are either loyal to Moqtada Al-Sadr (it is not uncommon to see the checkpoints adorned with pictures of Moqtada and his father) or they simply look the other way when members of the Mehdi Army move around the town.
The curfew in Najaf a few weeks ago was from 1:00am which has now changed to 12:00am but yesterday we were not allowed to enter the city center ("wilaya") at 11:40pm and the police officer manning the checkpoint told us "Even if I let you through the army patrols will show no mercy". A friend of mine was able to get in touch with an Iraqi intelligence agent who was in Najaf preparing a visit for the Interior Minister but that has now been canceled because 'things will not stay calm for much longer and there could possibly be a mass protest in Najaf by the Mehdi Army".
There is no doubt that the Mehdi Army since the last four years has weakened both in terms of support and strength but the reality is that it only takes a few dozen gunmen to cause mayhem and destruction to a city like Najaf which, by the way, is the safest city in Iraq (excluding Kurdistan of course).
