Sadr extends cease-fire

There is good news from Iraq today, (day 1759 since mission was accomplished).

Influential Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Friday ordered his Mahdi Army militia to extend a cease-fire for another six months, a decision that U.S. and Iraqi officials believe will strengthen a growing sense of stability in Iraq....

Sadr's cease-fire, which began last August, is widely credited with helping to reduce levels of violence in Iraq. Other factors in quelling the violence have been the birth of a Sunni volunteer force that turned against radical jihadists and the U.S. military "surge" involving thousands of reinforcements....

Those who honor Sadr's pledge will be treated with respect and restraint, the U.S. military said, adding that it would welcome any opportunity to participate in dialogue with the Sadrists.

While not all of Sadr's military and political allies have bought into the cease-fire (hence that statement from the U.S. military), the extension of the cease-fire will hopefully continue to tamp down violence, because what the country has experienced under the cease-fire has been bad enough. Without it, it could have been much worse.

This will hopefully provide at least a measure of protection for our forces, until we have a new Congress and president to bring them home.