Iraqi tribal leaders meet to end violent conflict

Mahdi Army fighters in Basra, Iraq Tribal leaders from the Iraqi district of Sadr City, Baghdad, organised a meeting on Tuesday to bring an end to clashes between two Shiite insurgent groups. Iraqi paramilitary force, Mahdi Army, led by Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has been involved in violence with rival faction Asaib Ahl al-Haq.
A Sadrist source told Arab Today that the Sarkhi and al-Azrej tribes opened talks about setting the date for a meeting, after the killing of two people, one from the Mahdi Army and another from Ahl al-Haq, during fighting earlier this week.
The source explained that Sadr had supported plans to hold the meeting, and called for a truce to prevent the conflict from escalating. "The Mahdi Army was not directly involved in the battle, which was between two families, one from the Sadrist side and the other from Asaib," the anonymous source said.
Earlier this week, Sadr threatened to withdraw his al-Ahrar bloc from Iraq's ruling State of Law coalition, in an apparent gesture of frustration towards Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's regime.
On Saturday, witnesses said three houses belonging to a leading member of Asaib Ahl al-Haq were set on fire as violence erupted between the two Shiite factions.
Meanwhile, Sadrist sources have denied that Muqtada al-Sadr has quit as head of the al-Ahrar bloc, explaining that he currently spending the last 10 days of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in a mosque.
A senior source told Arab Today that the Sadrist bloc wants to pressurise the government into listening to its demands, but Sadr has no plans to leave the political arena any time soon.
According to movement's political office, Sadr is observing the Islamic practice of Itikaaf, retreating to a mosque for extended worship and devotion in the last 10 days of Ramadan.