Basra, Apr 16, (VOI)- Iraqi army forces on Wednesday arrested the tribes official at al-Sadr’s office in Basra, and found dozens of bombs inside his house, an Iraqi army commander said.“Iraqi army forces waged a crackdown operation in al-Janena region in northern Basra in search for weapons and wanted men,” the commander, who asked to be unnamed, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq (VOI). “A number of wanted men, including Muayad al-Abdi, tribes official at al-Sadr’s office, were arrested after finding 51 bombs at his house,” he added.
For his part, official at al-Sadr’s office in Basra, Hareth al-Azari denied any connection between the tribes official and al-Mahdi army. “Muayad al-Abdi, surnamed Abu Shaker, is not one of al-Mahdi army fighters but he is responsible for tribes’ affairs at al-Sadr’s office,” he explained.
Basra, Iraq's second largest city and oil hub, 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, had witnessed immense security unrest a few hours after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced Saulat al-Forsan (Knights Assault) to impose order in the province. Fierce battles occurred between security forces and armed groups believed to belong to Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militias.