SLOWLY RECOGNIZING THE ALLY:

US welcomes Iraq militia 'freeze' (BBC, 9/01/07)

The US military says it is encouraged by a radical Iraqi cleric's order that his Mehdi army militia should freeze operations for six months.

If the freeze holds, coalition forces will be freer to tackle al-Qaeda in Iraq, US commanders say.

A US statement issued three days after the surprise move by cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said it could mean fewer kidnappings, killings and attacks.

Mr Sadr's Mehdi Army has become a major force in Baghdad and the south.