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Iraq's Sadr tells militia to keep observing freeze (Reuters, 07/02/2008)

Attacks across the country have fallen by 60 percent since June 2007 and a return to hostilities could seriously jeopardise those security gains. "Any member of the Mehdi Army who conducts violent acts during the ceasefire, the Sadr office declares they will no longer be part of the Mehdi Army," Sadr said in a statement read to Reuters by Ubaidi. He said Sadr had issued the statement in response to rumours that the ceasefire was about to come to an end.