They stood guard around the buildings with Kalashnikovs, but many had doffed their black uniforms, on orders from senior Sadr officials.

Sadr officials have seized on a simpler refrain: The Mahdi Army makes peace, not war.

The endless stream of Sunni-built car bombs, and the inability of the Americans to stop them, has also tested the patience of Sadr officials.

The pamphlet was given to a reporter at a mosque here by Sahib Obeid al-Amiri, a Sadr official.

Reports from Iraqi authorities and Sadr officials offered similar tallies.

The arrests of the Sadr officials have nothing to do with political rivalries, he said.

The funeral was for four brothers killed in the bombings, a Sadr official said.

Sadr officials have accused the party of using the military to carry out a political grudge, but the governor, Khalil Jalil Hamza, denied that on Monday.

Sadr officials say the incident shows that the Mahdi Army can play a positive role in helping to secure Iraq.

In return, the Sadr officials gave the officers olive branches and Korans.