Now Basra Basks.

When asked about the militias that until a few months ago controlled Basra, a young Iraqi soldier stamps his boot to the ground as if crushing a beetle. Clearly feeling confident in his camouflage uniform and red beret, he then swishes his hand as if it were an axe to chop at his legs. [. . .]

The elections are supposed to take place in October, but Iraq's parliament has not yet passed the required legislation. Analysts say a motive behind Mr Maliki's decision to launch Charge of the Knights was to discredit and reduce the power of the Sadrists ahead of the elections. But attempting to marginalise the movement could be risky. "If Sadr is excluded from Iraq's political process, feels the process is unfair, or chooses to mix politics with violence, the JAM [Mahdi army] could again become a major threat," analysts at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies wrote in a report last month.

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