We’ve been critical of the stand-down in Fallujah, but it is hard to fault the military’s handling of Muqtada al-Sadr and his militia. Al-Sadr apparently agreed to vacate the town of Najaf today, which likely would mean the end of his insurrection:
Radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr agreed Wednesday to withdraw his militia from Najaf and hand the city back to Iraqi police, the government said, raising hopes for an end to weeks of fighting that threatened some of Shia Islam’s holiest sites….an agreement to abandon Najaf would be a major step toward ending his uprising in the south only weeks before a new Iraqi government takes power June 30, formally ending the U.S.-led occupation.
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