Reuters
A sudden call by Iraqi Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to stop battling government forces caught his followers off guard on Sunday after six days of fighting that had spread through southern Iraq and Baghdad.

Although Mehdi Army members said they would obey the call, they doubted the government would keep its side of the bargain.

Sadr’s aides portrayed the order to stop fighting as part of a deal negotiated with the authorities to end arrests that have outraged his followers. The government said it would not halt its campaign against “criminals” in the southern city of Basra, which triggered fighting in other Shi’ite areas.

Long War Journal
Sadr’s call for an end to fighting by his followers comes as his Mahdi Army has taken high casualties over the past six days. Since the fighting began on Tuesday 358 Mahdi Army fighters were killed, 531 were wounded, 343 were captured, and 30 surrendered. The US and Iraqi security forces have killed 125 Mahdi Army fighters in Baghdad alone, while Iraqi security forces have killed 140 Mahdi fighters in Basra.

From March 25-29 the Mahdi Army had an average of 71 of its fighters killed per day. Sixty-nine fighters have been captured per day, and another 160 have been reported wounded per day during the fighting. The US and Iraqi military never came close to inflicting casualties during the height of major combat operations against al Qaeda in Iraq during the summer and fall of 2007.