Besides, he said, many of the roving gangs that day were impersonating Mahdi fighters, in the typical black dress, as a cover.

He said he had helped Mahdi fighters check cars for bombs.

At one point, according to an Iraqi general, Mahdi fighters killed a group of Iraqi soldiers in a public square.

That was when he started calling himself a Mahdi fighter.

An open question is whether all the Mahdi fighters will obey orders not to fight.

According to someone who identified himself as a Mahdi fighter involved in the clash, a prisoner exchange was still being negotiated Monday night.

Mahdi fighters stood eating bright green frozen pops on a corner close to the American controlled zone.

But for most of the Mahdi fighters still standing, morale seemed undiminished.

Dozens of Mahdi fighters were killed or captured in the operation.

He said that Mahdi fighters had laid down their weapons to give the government a chance, and that the opportunity should not be missed.