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Moqtada Sadr suspends Mehdi Army Sadr set to 'rebuild' Mehdi Army
(40 minutes later)
The radical Iraqi Shia cleric, Moqtada Sadr, has suspended his Mehdi Army militia for six months in order to "rehabilitate" it, an aide has said. The radical Iraqi Shia cleric, Moqtada Sadr, has announced the "rebuilding" of his Mehdi Army militia over a maximum period of six months.
Sheikh Hazim al-Araji said the re-organisation would "safeguard its ideological image", in a statement broadcast on Iraqi television. He called on all its offices to co-operate with the security forces and exercise "self-control", in a statement issued by his office in Najaf.
Correspondents say the Mehdi Army has recently broken into factions. The order was read out at a conference in Karbala, where fierce fighting on Tuesday killed more than 50 people.
The group is strongly opposed to the US presence in Iraq and took part in two uprisings against US forces in 2004. Police blamed the Mehdi Army for the violence, but it denied involvement.
The militia is strongly opposed to the US presence in Iraq and took part in two uprisings against US-led forces in 2004.
It has also been linked to many sectarian attacks on Iraq's Sunni Arabs and on UK forces in the south of the country.