Sistani says militias have to go

Washington Post:

Iraq's most revered Shiite Muslim cleric urged Prime Minister-designate Nouri al-Maliki in a meeting Thursday to deal quickly with sectarian militias blamed for widespread killings, and to ensure that Iraqi police and soldiers remain loyal to the country and not to political factions.

Wading into what has emerged as the first major issue facing Maliki, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani said it had "become necessary to have weapons only in the hands of government forces," according to a statement released by his office.

The government must also "rebuild these forces on sound, patriotic bases so that their allegiance shall be to the homeland alone, not to any other political or other groups," Sistani told Maliki, who was chosen by a coalition of Shiite religious parties. The two men met Thursday in the southern city of Najaf, home to Iraq's Shiite clerical leaders.

Shiite militias such as the Mahdi Army, led by the firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, and the Badr Organization, which is tied to Iraq's largest political party, dominate many Iraqi police and army units and have been accused by Sunni Arab leaders and U.S. officials of operating death squads.

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This is good news for Iraq. He is in agreement with the new leadership and with the US. The choice is pretty simple. You either have a country or a group of war lords.