US military thanks the honorable Moqtada al Sadr for keeping the peace in Iraq

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL20270875

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Sadr, who led uprisings against U.S. troops in 2004 and whose militia were later described by U.S. commanders as their greatest threat, surprised both Iraqis and U.S. forces when he ordered the initial six-month freeze on his militia in August.

Washington says the freeze is one of the factors that has led to a decline in violence across Iraq, although it has continued to pursue what it describes as "rogue" Mehdi Army units that have not laid down arms.

U.S. military spokesman Rear Admiral Greg Smith said: "We welcome the potential for the extension of the freeze."

"We believe that al-Sayyed Moqtada al Sadr's pledge to work in a political process and the peaceful transition is much more constructive than through violence," he said, using an honorific title for a man Washington tried to arrest in 2004