19 Tense Hours in Sadr City Alongside the Mahdi Army – washingtonpost.com

In between battles, fighters spoke about politics and war. There was no sign of dread, or grief, or fear. Death was a matter of honor, a shortcut to some divine place.

As the two sides exchanged fire, Thahabi’s mother, Um Falah, clutched a Koran and began to recite a prayer to Imam Ali, Shiite Islam’s most revered saint. Her eldest son, Abu Hassan, a Mahdi Army commander, was fighting this day.

“May Ali be with you,” said Um Falah, who wore a black abaya and round eyeglasses. “I pray that all the bullets will not affect you.”

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