Maliki Friday ordered a nationwide freeze on raids against suspected Shiite militants after the leader of the biggest militia complained that arrests of his followers were continuing despite his order to pull his fighters off the streets. Also Friday, a suicide bomber killed at least 15 people and wounded eight when he blew himself up during a funeral for a policeman north of Baghdad, officials said. Al-Maliki's statement did not give a time frame for the freeze nor refer to the Mahdi Army of Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr. The statement said only that the freeze was designed to give a chance to “those who repented and want to lay down their arms.” “Those who lay down their arms and participated in the recent acts of violence will not be prosecuted,” the statement said. On Thursday, the prime minister said he intended to launch security operations against militants in two Baghdad neighborhoods where the Mahdi militia operates, including its Sadr City stronghold. Many residents of Shiite neighborhoods stocked up on food and other supplies after Al-Maliki's statement. The suicide attack occurred in Sadiyah, a town 95 km north of Baghdad in the volatile Diyala province, where US and Iraqi forces are still battling Sunni extremists of Al-Qaeda. Police said the bomber mingled among the mourners and then triggered an explosive vest. The Shiite-led government launched a crackdown March 25 against Shiite extremists in the southern city of Basra, triggering fierce resistance that included rocket and mortar attacks against the US-controlled Green Zone in Baghdad. During the fighting, a number of Iraqi soldiers and police were reported to have mutinied or refused to engage Al-Sadr's militants. On Friday, military and police officials in Basra revealed that the mutiny involved a full infantry battalion belonging to the 4th Iraqi Division numbering about 500 men, and some 400 policemen. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the deserters also turned over to the Mahdi militia some of their weapons and vehicles. The fighting eventually eased after Al-Sadr called last Sunday on his militia to stop fighting. But Al-Sadr has complained that government forces are still conducting raids and arrests against his followers. A US military statement Friday said that during the operation Iraqi special forces had captured a suspected militant leader who has been rallying insurgents in Basra to fight against coalition forces. The statement said the suspect was linked the kidnapping and murder of Iraqi security troopers and had been involved in oil smuggling “and foreign fighter networks.” No further details were released. The government has given Shiite militiamen until Tuesday to hand in heavy weapons, but it was unclear if the freeze was tied to that date. Despite a drop in fighting, Iraqi officials insist that the Basra crackdown will continue until it breaks the stronghold that armed groups have had on the city since 2005. __
