The five American suspects were said to be in contact with an outlawed Pakistani militant group, Jaish-e-Mohammad , that has links with al-Qaida and Taliban extremists.

VOA: standard.2009.12.11

It included stepped-up coordination with Shia militias such as Moqtada al-Sadr's Jaish al-Mahdi as well as Syrian-backed Sunni Arab groups and al-Qaida in Mesopotamia, he added.

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"Indications are that it appears many honorable members of Jaish al-Mahdi are fulfilling Sadr's pledge of honor to stop attacks and reduce the violence, " the military said, using the Arabic name for the Mehdi Army.

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