Will Al-Maliki Go After Shiite Militias?
Despite his tough rhetoric, there are still questions surrounding al-Maliki’s willingness to go after the Shi’ite militias. On January 10, he issued a veiled warning to Muqtada al-Sadr, calling on his militia, the Imam al-Mahdi Army, to disarm or face an all-out attack by U.S. forces. But his subsequent actions have done little to back up this warning. On January 12, al-Maliki appointed Lieutenant General Abud Qanbar, a little-known Hussein-era military figure, as the top military commander of the Baghdad operation, despite objections by both U.S. and Iraqi military officials, “The Sunday Telegraph” reported on January 14. He also appointed Qanbar, who will report directly to al-Maliki, without consulting the leaders of other political parties, raising suspicions that Qanbar may have links to sectarian groups. If Qanbar shelters the Al-Mahdi Army, the plan will undoubtedly fail. “It’s a delicate situation. It’s very dangerous if it turns out that he has [sectarian] affiliations,” Kurdi
