Iraqi Detains 400 Members of Shiite Militia

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 18, 2007 — -- There are signs that the Iraqi government may be taking some of the steps President Bush has called for in his new strategy, including reining in Shiite fighters blamed for kidnapping, torturing and executing large numbers of Sunnis.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he was going after the Mahdi army, the largest, most dangerous Shiite militia in Iraq. They are blamed for a massive, murderous campaign of religious violence.

"Within the last few days," Maliki said, "400 members of the Mahdi army have been detained."

The Mahdi army is run by the radical religious leader Moqtada al Sadr, a fellow Shiite who helped Maliki take power. In an interview to be published in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Sadr confirmed that 400 of his men had been arrested.

"The final attack against us has already started," said al Sadr. "They can kill me but the Mahdi army will survive."

If Maliki is indeed cracking down, he's doing something the White House has long demanded.

The Iraqi government is also making progress on another White House demand; it said it has drafted a bill to split up billions of dollars in oil revenues among the country's religious and ethnic groups, an issue that has been the source of much of the tension here.

Maliki appears to be playing to two audiences: He has made moves to appease the White House while criticizing Bush, perhaps for domestic consumption.

The prime minister accused Bush of caving in to media pressure when he criticized the way Saddam Hussein had been executed.

He also said the failure of the United States to give Iraqi forces sufficient weapons has made the insurgency longer and bloodier.

Bush responded, saying, "He's been constantly asking for an upgrade of troops as well as equipment, and we're providing that. We may not be providing it as quickly as he wants."

The White House said it would judge Maliki not by his words but by his deeds, and for today at least, Bush liked what he saw.