It was good news that greeted the world yesterday (and for Iraq and America) that Sadr’s militant forces sued for surrender across Iraq. They are working a “cease fire” which basically calls for the disarming of the Mahdi Army (no medium or heavy weapons allowed in the hands of ‘civilians’). On a side note I find it ironic that the liberal, anti-gun SurrenderMedia in the west seems to think this enforcing this common sense rule of law in Iraq is somehow out of bounds, and is in same way the fault of the US? Geez, if your against assault weapons here in the US how can you not be against rocket launchers in Iraq?

No matter what wild speculation and wrong conclusions emanating from the news media, the facts on the ground will be what they are going to be. This fight is has and will take its own course. So now we have the surprising news that the Mahdi Army has decided to follow the rule of law, and the initial signs from Sadr City is quite promising:

Militants were withdrawing from the streets and shops were reopening in Baghdad’s Sadr City on the first day of a cease-fire between Shiite extremists and U.S.-backed Iraqi forces following two months of intense clashes.

Authorities reported no violence Sunday.

“Today, people are very happy and very optimistic,” said Sadiq Jaafar, a 30-year-old father. “Last night for the first time in more than 40 days we were able to sleep without being woken up by explosions or gunfire.”

There is some debate on some of the details being worked out – as usual. But what is clear is much of this is being worked by the Sadrists political block and al-Sadr himself. One interesting spin being put on all this today is how somehow this was not really an uprising by al-Sadr’s followers:

The U.S. military has repeatedly emphasized that the clashes are being carried out by rogue elements and groups that have splintered from al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army.

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The bulk of al-Sadr’s 60,000-strong Mahdi Army is not believed to have participated in the clashes, instead adhering to a general cease-fire ordered by al-Sadr last August. The violence is blamed on splinter groups believed to be acting on their own. Al-Sadr has directed his supporters to only fight when attacked.

Well, either these are followers of Sadr and the surrender will work out, or their is another group hidden inside the Sadrist/Mahdi Army camp which answer to a different power – and then there may not be peace. And I would speculate we will learn soon enough if Sadr does or does not control the rogue elements of the Mahdi Army. And there are some indications already some will not surrender:

A deal to end fighting between militants and security forces in the Baghdad stronghold of Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr was largely holding today, but sporadic clashes between gunmen and US forces continued.

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But deals to end battles between gunmen loyal to the anti-US cleric and security forces have collapsed in the past. It is also unclear how much control Sadr has over many of the Mehdi Army militiamen who claim allegiance to him.

Officials at the two hospitals in Sadr City said they had received one body and treated five wounded people overnight.

The coming days will tell, but I do note this gruesome report on some disgusting celebrations in the Muslim street over the Mahdi Army’s demise (note: the video does not match the text):

Behind is a second Humvee with another body sprawled over the front, arms and legs outstretched. On his white shirt, a large bloodstain indicates the wound that may have killed him. A soldier sitting on the roof dangles his legs over the windscreen and seems to prod the corpse’s stomach with his boot.

As the vehicles roll slowly forward, the tooting of car horns rises to a crescendo in apparent celebration of victory in battle and the sound of whooping and gunshots can be heard.

A police officer in a blue uniform drives alongside, smiling as the Humvees are waved forward by a pedestrian in civilian clothes and head towards two large arches that span the road. The bodies are being paraded like prize stags after a hunt.

The film, which appears to have been made with a mobile phone, was passed to The Sunday Times by a senior official close to Moqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shi’ite cleric who leads the Mahdi Army militia.

The Mahdi Army is complaining of human rights violations to their puppet media outlets after they violated numerous war crimes themselves. Here is video the Times/UK has – clearly these two people were really hated by the locals or there would be little reason for the parade or the celebration. What the bottom line is here is there is celebration in the streets when the Mahdi are taken out. Seems Sadr and his jackboot thugs are not as popular in Iraq as they are with western, liberal news media outlets.

Update: The denial inside the liberal media to the Mahdi Army surrender (which is going to be called something else to give the Sadrists some face covering) is truly sad. Some details of surrender are still vague, but some are known. Those not involved in taking up arms against the government will be totally free to continue their lives – duh. Those who took up arms will of course take another path. And there can be no medium or large arms or attacks on Iraqis or US Forces. Those are the terms which require nothing from Maliki or is government:

The agreement will give the government some control over Sadr City, a largely lawless area, and give members of Sadr’s militia who were not actively involved in the fighting a guarantee that they would not be arrested.

Parliament members involved in the deal said the gunmen had four days to withdraw.

The Media somehow cannot see who has one this battle, even while they report the lopsided deal the Mahdi Army is being forced to accept:

The deal, made early Saturday, would allow both sides to stand down from what was becoming a messy and unpopular showdown in the months leading up to crucial provincial elections. It is not clear who won or how long the truce will last, but at least for now it will end the internecine warfare among Shiite factions.

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The decision to negotiate a cease-fire came as both parties realized that they were losing ground. Civilians in Sadr City blame both sides for their suffering.

The Iraqi government has done little to ease the crisis and allow medical and humanitarian aid to reach people.

This is so lame it is ridiculous. The lack of help was due to the armed Mahdi Forces, which did not allow Iraqi aid and killed people who tried to bring in aid. The media lies surrounding this story are truly stunning, especially when they interlace some obvious facts to pretend they are being neutral:

For the Shiite militias, losses have been rising as well. They are suffering more casualties and are also being blamed for civilian deaths, especially in gun battles where civilians frequently bear the brunt of the bullets. Furthermore, the political establishment appears to have turned against them, at least for now.

“The ground has changed for them,” said Jalaluddin al-Sagheer, a member of Parliament from the Islamic Supreme Iraqi Council, a rival party to the Sadrists. “They are suffering a lot of losses and defeats, and they are politically isolated.”

The liberal SurrenderMedia is just unable to accept that their initial take on this affair was 180% off. Their claim the Sadr would turn Iraq into another Vietnam have been proven to be just wild fantasizing from liberals desperate to find a quagmire somewhere before Bush leaves office. The media myth that a Sadrist/Mahdi Army civil war will implode Iraq’s new government have now been busted.

Update: Someone needs to wake Time magazine up from their liberal delusional state of mind since they are running a headline that claims a surrender by Sadr’s forces is actually a victory. It’s almost as if the liberal news media is trying to tell the Mahdi to not stop fighting by showing them the western media still believes they can destroy Iraq. Almost …. The liberal left have been promoting defeat as victory for so long they have become to believe their own Kool-Aid! Maybe Time should explain how those hundreds of dead Mahdi fighters, how hundreds of dead Iraqis from Mahdi rockets and missiles and how all those confiscated and destroyed weapons of the Mahdi constitute a victory???

Update: Back to the point of this post. More speculation on the elements of the truce, along with doubts Sadr actually controls the Mahdi Army can be found here.