Abu Zaid, a Shi’ite in the Mahdi Army militia led by Moqtada al-Sadr, says he is simply waiting for word on whether to fight again. With a series of bombing attacks against Shi’ites leaving at least 150 people dead in recent days, many Iraqis have wondered whether the Mahdi Army will continue to stand down or renew death squad killings as they did when sectarian violence raged out of control for more than a year beginning in 2006.
