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Damascus, Syria - The Mahdi Army, is an army that was created by the Sadr Movement in Iraq and the name "Mahdi" refers to the Imam Mahdi whom the Shia Islamic texts expect will return before Judgment Day. The Mahdi Army consists of more then two hundred thousand fighters all over Iraq. They are distributed around Baghdad, Najaf, Karbala, and Basra, as well as elsewhere in the country. The main purpose for the creation of the Mahdi Army is to support Imam Mahdi when he appears. The Sadr Movement established offices all over Iraq and in most of Baghdad's neighborhoods, the main purpose of these offices is to recruit young Iraqis to join the Mahdi Army, in order to increase the control of the Mahdi Army within the capital. Many Iraqis have been found dead after being tortured, they were found without identification. Many Iraqis have accused the Mahdi Army of killing these Iraqis. The reason for these accusations came after the blasts that destroyed the Imam Askariya Shrine. Many Shia militias related to the Mahdi Army threatened to avenge those explosions, and withing days of the attack, many Sunni Iraqis were kidnapped and found dead. Some eyewitnesses claimed that the kidnappers wore a black uniform that is similar to the uniform of the Mahdi Army. Muqtada Al-Sadr, the leader of the Sadr Movement and the Mahdi Army declared in early 2007 that the Mahdi army is clean from killing any Iraqi Sunni in Baghdad or elsewhere in Iraq, and there are groups taking the name of the Mahdi Army that have been recruited by a separate force from outside Iraq to keep the security situation unstable. However, many families in Baghdad living in areas such as Al-Khadar'a, Ameriya, and Karrada have received death threats from groups such as " Al-Hussein Brigades," or "Sraiya Al-Imam Ali " asking them either to leave theor house and move to another neighborhoods or face death, and both of these groups have been connected to the Mahdi Army. The Iraqi government in the year 2007 asked the Mahdi Army to drop there weapons and become a non-armed group. The Sadr Movement refused to give up their weapons and they asked the Iraqi Government forces to remove their weapons from Basra in early 2008.

Baghdad/Abu Dsheer, Iraq - There are many Sunni Families living in Hawr Rajab, and a great number were attacked by people wearing black uniforms similar to the uniform that the Mehdi Army is known to wear, which is also considered similar to the uniform worn by members of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. The Sahwa forces are gathered in Hawr Rajab trying to protect those families from being attacked during the night or the early hours of the morning. Several attacks happened to families living in Hawr Rajab occurring like raids. When men in black uniforms attack a family they often kidnap the father or the brother or sometimes the whole family, and it is normal to find the family member dead after several days. These actions pushed some families to flee Hawr Rajab and move to a nearby area called Abu Dsheer which seems to be demonstrating ongoing solidarity within Iraq society, as the families who spoke with Alive in Baghdad are Sunni families that fled from Hawr Rajab to Abu Dsheer, which is known to be a majority Shi'a neighborhood. Since the Sahwa force was established in Hawr Rajab there have been a number of massacres, demonstrating the ongoing instability that discourages many displaced families from returning home. Hawr Rajab was controlled by Al-Qaeda and used to be known as a major area under Al-Qaeda's control. In the beginning they targeted anyone who worked with the United States military, and after awhile, Al-Qaeda started to establish rules to be followed by the people living therem like men are not allowed to wear shorts have a short beard, and for all women they must wear a veil on their head when they go out of their homes. The people lof Hawr Rajab liked the idea of the Sahwa Forces and many people joined that force in order to get Al-Qaeda out of their area. Al-Qaeda decided to retaliate against this behavior of people living there and to show them that Al-Qaeda is still strong and still controlling the area. Members Al-Qaeda began to assassinate heads of the tribes that joined Al-Sahwa, and the young people that joined, in order to push them away from the Sahwa. One of the methods of assassinations was to behead the kidnapped person and put the victim's head on their chest, and leave the body in front of their family's ho,e By early 2008 Al-Qaeda had burned and destroyed some houses for random people and killed people only for belonging to a certain tribe that agreed with the Sahwa method and that reason pushed people to flee to anywhere and made many go to a Shi'a neighborhood just to stay alive. *** If you appreciate the insightful content provided by Alive in Baghdad, which you won t find anywhere else, please consider becoming a paying subscriber, or making a donation to Alive in Baghdad. You can also purchase Alive in Baghdad T-shirts to spread the word!

Baghdad, Iraq - Sadr City - In October 2007 the US Military claims it raided 3 locations in pursuit of a Shi'a masterminding a kidnapping gang. Iraqi civilians in the area claimed differently. The Coalition forces claim 49 criminals were killed and no civilians were injured in the raid. Iraqi Police and hospital officials reported only 15 deaths including three children. Another report from the Iraqi Ministry of Interior claimed there were 13 killed and 69 injured. In other reports, the shadowy "Task Force 88" or "Task Force Black" was cited as being involved in this raid. The report from Long War Journal suggested that they were involved due to the United States' claim that the raid targeted the so-called "Special Groups," off-shoots of the Mahdi Army who have defied Muqtada Sadr's ceasefire order and are being supplied by Iran. In Esquire, Thomas P.M. Barnett writes that Task Force 88 was sent into Somalia seeking Al-Qa'eda operatives, with orders to "Kill anyone still alive and leave no unidentified bodies behind." Iraqi civilians in Sadr City expressed anger, frustration, and confusion regarding the raid. Ali Al-Dabbagh, spokesman for the Iraqi Government, says that Prime Minister Maliki called General Petraeus to lodge a complaint, and attacked the United States for killing civilians and using excessive force. None of the civilians who spoke with Alive in Baghdad could explain the reason for the attacks, they claimed there were no fighters for the Mahdi Army in their area, and implored the international media to come and examine the neighborhood themselves. Alive in Baghdad correspondent Nabeel Kamal witnessed no evidence of militia activity in the area while producing this story. The US and Iraqi governments have agreed to investigate the incident further, but as this goes to publish, Alive in Baghdad could not determine any new details or information uncovered by the investigation. *** Alive in Baghdad is running low on funds. Although we are receiving increasing support from monthly subscribers, we need many more of you to help! We depend on you the viewer for our support. Please, if you value this type of in-depth visual coverage that you can find nowhere else, become a paying subscriber today. Make a donation, or purchase a DVD!

Baghdad, Iraq - The Al-A'mel neighborhood has been wracked with as much violence and unrest as Baghdad's roughest neighborhoods. The Sadr office in Al-A'mel has been an important source of stability and security for many residents of Al-A'mel. As we've reported previously, the Sadr Movement, which is connected to Muqtada Sadr's Mahdi Army, has made a name for itself by providing aid and support to Iraqis living all over the country. The arrest of Sheikh Jassem lead to large demonstrations in the Al-A'mel neighborhood. These demonstrations targetted their anger not only at the US forces in Iraq, but also Prime Minister Maliki and the Iraqi government. Because the Iraqi prime minister has claimed to have control over where, when, and how the US forces exert pressure on Iraqi dissidents, insurgents, and militias, the residents of Al-A'mel directed their frustration at his apparent apathy regarding Sheikh Jassem's arrest. Witnesses gave different accounts of the arrest. Although all claimed that the Sheikh was injured by being pushed from the roof of the mosque after being detained, some claimed this was done by a soldier from the United States, while others claimed it was a member of the Iraqi National Guard. At the time he was arrested, the US claimed that he was wanted in relation to a spate of kidnapping, murder, and torture in the area. Residents told Alive in Baghdad that they were surprised by the charges, as he is well-liked in the community and has been involved with assisting Sunni as well as Shi'a families around Al-A'mel. Sheikh Jassem Al-Hasnawi has also received letters of thanks from prominent Sunnis, such as Dr. Al-Kubaisi, for his assistance in the construction of school buildings in the primarily Sunni Karkh region of Baghdad. Until now Sheikh Jassem Al-Hasnawi has been held by the US forces, leading many Iraqis to question the truth of Prime Minister Maliki's claims of Iraqi sovereignty. At the time of writing, it was unclear when Sheikh Jassem might be released, whether there was any truth to the claims of his injury, or whether he has been officially charged with any wrongdoing. ... If you appreciate our work, please consider making a donation, or becoming a paying subscriber, to support the work of Iraqi journalists. Although we are dedicated to continuing to offer this work for free, it is primarily with the support of our viewers that we can continue our work. Please feel free to contact us if you have any comments, suggestions for stories, or other feedback!