U.S. joins Iraqi assault on militias

(Iraq’s Prime Minister, Maliki, originally issued a weekend deadline for surrender. Sounds like that’s not happening?) Maliki has changed his tune a bit, now the deadline is the 8th of April. They’re saying now that they want the heavy weapons handed over for money. (Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr says he’s still observing a ceasefire, is that true?) Sadr and his supporters in the Mehdi Army say that their ceasefire allows them to act in self-defense. Baghdad was put on curfew that will last until Sunday, no one is able to move in the Iraqi capital but there have been still clashes during the day. It hasn’t been as bad as Thursday though. (How is this situation different from before?) This is something a lot of analysts have warned about: inter-Shiite violence. People were getting a bit more confident and comfortable about the living situation and this has almost come out of nowhere. (So given that, how are the residents of Baghdad preparing for the weekend?) Most people are keeping their heads down. There’s a hope that everyone will just step back from the brink. But Maliki has been very strong and said these outlaws have to be dealt with, and this could be very damaging for his credibility if he can’t find a way to claim victory. And the people who feel stronger after this might be the Sadr supporters.