Muqtada No Longer a Made Man

Evidence from US intelligence sources has convinced Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that Muqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army has been infiltrated by death squads. Al-Maliki has reportedly ended his protection of al Sadr:

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's prime minister has dropped his protection of an anti-American cleric's Shiite militia after U.S. intelligence convinced him the group was infiltrated by death squads, two officials said Sunday.

In a desperate bid to fend off an all-out American offensive, the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr last Friday ordered the 30 lawmakers and six Cabinet ministers under his control to end their nearly two-month boycott of the government. They were back at their jobs Sunday.

Al-Sadr had already ordered his militia fighters not to display their weapons. They have not, however, ceded control of the formerly mixed neighborhoods they have captured, killing Sunnis or forcing them to abandon their homes and businesses.

It's time for al Sadr and the rest of the scum in the Mahdi Army to begin performing useful services. Like inspiring watermelons.