Dissolution of Militias Announced
Transitional PM Iyad Allawi announced Monday that nine militias would be dissolved. Their members would receive pensions or would be merged into the police or new Iraqi military. This announcement should be seen as a pious hope rather than as a political reality. I can’t say how many times I have reported here plans for the dissolution of the militias. The article I am linking to even openly acknowledges that the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq is not completely on board with this plan yet. I am sure there are wrinkles with regard to the Kurdish peshmerga, as well. The bottom line is that until a new Iraqi military can be reconstituted, the militias will be a reality on the ground.
The article also reports a mosque explosion in Kufa, apparently the result of Mahdi Army stockpiles accidentally exploding.