Militias fill the void

With every turn our options grow narrower and narrower.

For U.S. officials, dismantling the Mahdi Army and other Shiite militias that have fomented sectarian strife in Iraq is a cornerstone of their calculus to stabilize Iraq and bring U.S. troops home. They view it as a crucial step toward isolating the Sunni Arab insurgency and reconciling the nation.

But the attacks Thursday illustrated the immense difficulties involved in tackling the Mahdi Army, the country's largest and most violent militia, in today 's Iraq. The militiamen were heroes that day, Sadr City residents said in interviews. They did everything that Iraq's fragile unity government did not, or could not, do. In the days since, their actions have boosted Sadr's popularity and emboldened him.

"The Mahdi Army are the people who helped us after the explosion," said Shihab Ahmed, 24, a salesman who was wounded by flying shrapnel. "They saved us."

Against this backdrop, President Bush is scheduled to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Wednesday in Amman, Jordan. U.S. officials have grown increasingly impatient with Maliki for his inability, or lack of will, to confront the Mahdi Army and other militias, who operate unchallenged. Some U.S. lawmakers on Sunday television talk shows called for Sadr's arrest and for Bush to urge Maliki to take stronger measures against the militias.

Those lawmakers are, in a word, delusional. At this point, disarming the Sadr's militia would be impossible without a major battle that would likely destroy Sadre City. And any attempt to arrest "the Mookster" would lead to the complete collapse of Maliki's government.

The U.S. military, Halliburton, KBR, and certainly not the Iraqi "government" are not remotely capable of providing even basic services in many parts of the country. That these militias are going to fill that void is natural. And every time they do so, they strengthen their appeal to their neighbors and further weaken the already untenable position of the occupying force.

Mao famously wrote that guerrilla fighters are like fish swimming among the peasants. Take away the water and the fish will die.

There's no shortage of water in Iraq right now.