Iraqi cleric Sadr extends militia's ceasefire

By Mariam Karouny and Tim Cocks

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr extended his Mehdi Army militia's ceasefire by six months on Friday, a decision U.S. officials said would help reconciliation among Iraq's divided communities.

The renewal was welcomed by the Iraqi and U.S. governments, which say the initial six-month truce has helped reduce attacks on U.S. and Iraqi troops and the tit-for-tat sectarian violence that pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war.

In a statement, the U.S. military said it was ready for dialogue with Sadr's movement, which opposes the American troop presence in Iraq. Sadr led his militia in two uprisings against U.S. forces in 2004.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said it was a positive step "to the extent that this will help reduce the violence".

Sadr's decision could prove vital in determining whether security gains can be maintained, allowing the United States to continue withdrawing soldiers beyond the figure of more than 20,000 due to leave by July. There are about 155,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

Several Mehdi Army members interviewed by Reuters expressed unhappiness with Sadr's order, which they believed would expose them to attack by U.S. forces, but said they would obey.

"We knew there would be an extension of the freeze, but we thought it would be for a shorter period and we expected to be allowed to act in self-defense against U.S. forces. Now, after this statement, we can't defend ourselves," said Amer al- Moussawi, a Mehdi Army member in the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf.

The U.S. military says the Mehdi Army contributed to sectarian violence with Iraq's Sunni Arab minority in 2006 and 2007, and at one time called the militia the most serious threat to peace in the country, a description it now uses for al Qaeda.

The extension was announced two years to the day after suspected al Qaeda militants bombed a Shi'ite shrine in the town of Samarra, an event that led to a wave of revenge attacks on Sunni Arabs by the Mehdi Army.

MID-AUGUST

"We have extended the freezing of activities of the Mehdi Army," said Asaad al-Naseri, a preacher at a mosque in the holy Shi'ite town of Kufa, reading a statement by Sadr.

Naseri said the renewal would last until mid-August.

A senior Sadrist said the reclusive cleric, who has rarely appeared in public in the past year, had renewed the truce so rogue members of the Mehdi Army could continue to be weeded out.

Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh praised Sadr's move.

"I hope this suspension will culminate in the ultimate dissolution of armed groups," Saleh told Reuters by telephone.