Shafaq News/ The work of Saraya al-Salam (The Peace Companies), an armed group loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, has been suspended in Diyala, a leaked document confirmed on Saturday.
A volatile governorate that borders Iran, Diyala has long been a hotbed for Sunni Islamist insurgent activity, including ISIS and al-Qaeda, who have sought refuge in its palm groves and orchards. It has also witnessed periodic Shiite militia activity. The governorate is also home to a diverse mix of Kurdish, Shiite, and Sunni Arab communities, with a complex web of tribal and political dynamics that have often contributed to its instability.
In a handwritten note on an official correspondence about the work of the armed group in Diyala, al-Sadr confirmed, "Indeed, the work of Saraya [al-Salam] is suspended in Diyala."
"Nobody is authorized to make statements on behalf of the Saraya," the note read, "in fact, starting from the moment, the work of the entire [Sadrist] movement in Diyala is suspended."