This is a development I have been expecting for some time. The longer Muqtada al Sadr remained outside the political sphere and used his Mahdi Army militia to attack the Iraqi security forces and government, the greater the pressure became for the government to ban his political party and militia. The fighting in Basra has shown that Sadr and his movement/militia are now anti-state elements, and the disparate political parties are seeking to pressure Sadr to disband his Madhi Army or face being banned from political activity. Per the AP:
Everyone rushed to declare the Maliki government defeated and neutered after the Basra operation hit a speed bump in its opening phase. But the push to force Sadr to disband his Mahdi Army or face the political wilderness suggests otherwise.
