Pentagon: Militia more dangerous than al Qaeda in Iraq

Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army has replaced al Qaeda in Iraq as "the most dangerous accelerant" of the sectarian violence plaguing Iraq for nearly a year, according to a Pentagon report.

With sectarian violence jumping 22 percent from August to November, and civilians suffering most of the violence, those responsible for most of the violence has also shifted. Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi army has carried out many wanton acts of violence when battling the Badr Organization--another Shiite militia--for political control. The militias use their sway to get police to fall in line behind them and ignore acts of violence towards Sunni civilians. This influence only helps to help propel the nation into a deep state of civil war.