Sadr disbands Militia

CNN:

Radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has agreed to Iraqi demands that he leave the Imam Ali mosque in Najaf, disband his Mehdi Army and "enter into the mainstream political process," his spokesman said Wednesday. The announcement came after the nation's interim defense minister said Iraqi forces were prepared to raid the mosque where the Shiite Muslim militiamen are holed up.

Great News. It seems to me that the Iraqi and U.S. forces have learned exactly how to defeat this sort of insurgency. First, you don't give up. Keep applying pressure. Second, don't let them lure you into committing atrocities. Be patient. Third, let them hang themselves. These are thugs, and given time they will enrage the population, thus allowing support for things like an assault on the Iman Ali mosque. Lastly, be a little flexible. Yeah, it would be nice if Sadr was arrested, but it is more important to stop the violence, so long as you don't allow violence to succeed it is a win.