US welcomes Iraq militia 'freeze'
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A cleric's order to freeze a Shia militia's operations may free US forces to tackle al-Qaeda in Iraq, the US says.
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The US president welcomes a deal between Iraq's Shia, Sunni and Kurdish leaders aimed at forging unity.
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BAGHDAD, 8 October 2004 - Militiamen loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr offered yesterday to surrender heavy and medium weapons in return for the release of prisoners and a role in Iraqâs political process, hours after the US military freed one of
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The United States urged Iran on Monday to stop supporting militias in Iraq but described the two countries' most high-profile meeting in almost 30 years as positive.
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NAJAF, Iraq  - Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is considering extending a freeze on the activities of his powerful Mehdi Army militia, his official spokesman said.
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NAJAF, Iraq  - U.S. marines and a radical Iraqi  cleric were locked in a tense standoff on Thursday after the  firebrand leader refused to leave a holy shrine in Najaf  despite earlier agreeing to disarm his militia and withdraw.
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The U.S. military freed a top aide to  rebel Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Thursday in a gesture  that could help the interim government's efforts to calm  rebel-held strongholds before elections due in January.
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A radical Shiite militia agreed on Saturday to hand in weapons and suspend attacks against US and Iraqi forces, as the government has tried to use carrots and sticks to curb a mounting insurgency throughout the country.
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A rebel Shi&#39;ite Muslim militia led by Moqtada al-Sadr pledged on Thursday to disarm in what could be a major advance for US-Iraqi efforts to calm violence in Iraq ahead of elections due in January.
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Iranian support for militias who are destabilizing Iraq has risen since the United States and Iran held breakthrough talks in Baghdad in May, the U.S. envoy to Iraq said on Tuesday after a fresh round of discussions.
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BAGHDAD -- Moqtada al-Sadr yesterday ordered his Mahdi Army militia to stop fighting US and Iraqi government forces and launch a political movement, aides said, raising hopes that the Shi'ite cleric's poor, urban followers will end their violent opposition to the US-backed government and embrace elections scheduled for next year.
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BAGHDAD , Oct 11 (MASNET &amp; News Agencies) - Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr&#39;s militia began slowly turning in weapons under a deal with the Iraqi government aimed at bringing a halt to months of deadly fighting in a Baghdad slum.
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BAGHDAD -- More than 1,100 US and Iraqi troops pushed into the Shi'ite militia haven of Sadr City yesterday, the largest operation in nearly three years in the sprawling, turbulent slum. Control of the area is viewed as pivotal to stabilizing the capital and preventing Iraq's slide toward civil war.
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The rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered his Mahdi Army militia to halt attacks on coalition and Iraqi Government forces, as aides said he was ready to join the US-backed political process.
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Iran could play a crucial role in curbing Iraq's Shiite militias if the U.S. opens a dialogue with Tehran as recommended by the Iraq Study Group, many in the Mideast say.
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A Shi'ite militia was waiting on Monday  for the order from its leader Moqtada al-Sadr to start turning  over its weapons to Iraqi police, a militia source said.
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US troops in Iraq say they have arrested a suspected leader of a Shia militia group allegedly backed by Iran.