Saddam Hussein
BANNED
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- Jun 20, 2018
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Time has also caught up with Sadr. Back then during the hey day of the 2nd Iraq war, Mahdi army was the main proxy Iran could use in Iraq(probably only Badr was the alternative), not anymore. Iran has built up alternatives to Al-Sadr, so he doesnt have the leverage he used to have. if he plays around, he will get burned.
Things changed in the way that influence shifted from military units to government influence.
The Iraqi army/police answering the Iraqi gov that was forced to work with the US used to fight the Mahdi militia back in 2007-2008. Now that group has been incorporated in the security forces under the PMU. The chance of a force disobeying other PMU units to act independently is small, Iran and US influence remain on the political level.
It's not the same situation as Lebanon where Hezbollah and the Leb army are far less integrated with separate command that lacks trust.