BAGHDAD - Though the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr put his Mahdi Army on ice Wednesday, U.S. infantrymen patrolling the streets of eastern Baghdad, which are dominated by his followers, are maintaining a wary eye.Al-Sadr ordered a six-month suspension of his militia’s activities in order to reorganize the force. The Associated Press quoted al-Sadr aides as saying it will no longer attack U.S. and coalition troops.

Leaders of the religious sect are pulling in the reins after a riot during a religious holiday, also named Mahdi, earlier this week in the Shiite-dominated city of Karbala left at least 52 dead and more than 300 injured, according to The Associated Press.

However, that matters little to the troops of the 2nd Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade, whose area of operations includes two districts bordering nearly 50 percent of Sadr City, the cleric’s stronghold.

“It’s not the first time he’s done it,” said Maj. Christopher Wendland, 35, of Chicago. “I guess we don’t see this as a milestone because we’ve seen it in the past. … But it does make us hopeful.”

Wendland is the executive officer of a battalion that patrols the streets of Zafaraniyah, a neighborhood to the south of Sadr City, every day.

His commander, Lt. Col. Wayne Grieme, said there were many splinter groups within the Mahdi Army, and his men would have to “wait and see” what happened next.

The brigade itself is responsible for the districts of Rusafa and New Baghdad as well as Karadah, which Grieme’s battalion patrols.

Grieme’s troops, and others in the brigade, are cautious when declarations such as al-Sadr’s are issued.    ….more

hmmmmmmmmmm…   Cleric freezes activities of his militia (to fill the vacuum later ?)