Al-Mahdi Army

Peace Companies سرايا السلام
Participant in the Iraq War and Iraqi Insurgency
Peace Brigades Logo
Active	2003–2008 2014–present
Leaders	Muqtada al-Sadr
Headquarters	Najaf, Kufa, Sadr city
Area of operations	Iraq, Syria
Size	10,000–50,000 (2014, independent claims)
Part of	Popular Mobilization Forces (al-Hashd al-Shaabi)
Allies	Syria
Opponents	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Sunni Insurgents
Battles and wars	Iraq War Siege of Sadr City Battle of Al Kut Battle of Najaf (2004) Battle of Diwaniya Battle of Amarah Battle of Karbala (2007) Siege of U.K. bases in Basra Battle of Basra (2008) Iraq spring fighting of 2008 Military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Second Battle of Tikrit

Iraq War

Military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

The Peace Companies (Arabic: سرايا السلام‎, translit. Sarāyā al-Salām), frequently mistranslated as Peace Brigades in US media, are an Iraqi armed group linked to Iraq's Shia community and are a revival of the Mahdi Army (JAM; جيش المهدي Jaish al-Mahdī), created by the Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in June 2003 and disbanded in 2008.

As the Mahdi Army, the group rose to international prominence on April 18, 2004, when it spearheaded the first major armed confrontation against the US forces in Iraq from the Shia community. This concerned an uprising that followed the ban of al-Sadr's newspaper and his subsequent attempted arrest, lasting until a truce on June 6. This truce was followed by moves to disband the group and transform al-Sadr's movement into a political party to take part in the 2005 elections; Muqtada al-Sadr ordered fighters of the Mahdi army to cease fire unless attacked first. The truce broke down in August 2004 after provocative actions by the Mahdi Army, with new hostilities erupting. In 2008, following a crackdown by Iraqi security forces, the group was disbanded.

At its height, the Mahdi Army's popularity was strong enough to influence local government, the police, and cooperation with Sunni Iraqis and their supporters. The group was popular among Iraqi police forces. National Independent Cadres and Elites party that ran in the 2005 Iraqi election was closely linked with the army. Members of the Mahdi Army frequently carried out atrocities, particularly against Sunni civilians. The Mahdi Army were accused of operating death squads.