More details on Diwaniyah

Juan Cole makes a very interesting point about the violence in Diwaniyah.

Diwaniyah is run politically by the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, and likely its police and security forces have been heavily infiltrated by the Iran-trained Badr Corps, the paramilitary of SCIRI. So a lot of the struggle is probably actually best thought of as Mahdi Army on Badr Corps faction fighting. Although SCIRI and allies won the provincial elections of January, 2005, since then the Sadr movement has been gaining adherents and influence in this and other southern Shiite provinces. New provincial elections were scheduled but have never been held, in part for fear that the Sadrists would sweep to power in provincial statehouses.

Iraqi forces have agreed to a "peace deal" with the militias in Diwaniyah. AP reports that the violence ended after government officials went to Sadr. The AFP outlines the terms.

According to Abid, the army agreed not to enter residential areas for three days, the Mahdi Army will withdraw fighters and a militia commander who was arrested at the weekend will be brought to court within 24 hours.

There was a sophisticated attack on Sadr's offices in Baquoba.

And, with the Iraqi fuel crisis leading to instability and riots in the streets, not to mention the pipeline explosion that may have killed 50 today, maybe someone should mention one major external reason why Iraqi fuel prices are high,

Fuel prices have soared as the Iraqi government phases out subsidies under a deal with the International Monetary Fund, angering Iraqis.

That's right, the IMF is pushing neoliberalism in the middle of the Iraqi Civil War.