Just as the ongoing tensions between Iraq's two largest Shia factions appeared on the brink of spiraling into complete chaos, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has ordered his followers to halt all activities.

In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, Sadr directed all his political offices to be closed for three days, and for his fighters to suspend operations until as late as February. Sadr's order specifically called for Sadrists to stop targeting offices of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim's Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC), a number of which have been attacked and burned in recent days.

One of his senior aides, Sheikh Hazim al-Araji, read the statement on Iraqi television, saying on Sadr's behalf: “I direct the Mahdi Army to suspend all its activities," for a period "not to exceed six months" until it is restructured in a way that helps honour the principles for which it is formed."

Araji also said that the intent of the pause was to "rehabilitate" the organization, which has reportedly broken into factions.

A Sadr aide told AFP that the suspension of activities was to include a cessation of all armed attacks against "the occupiers or any other groups," explaining, "The aim is to reorganize the militia but not to dismantle it. It is also an effort to root out the rogue elements" in the militant group.

Sadr's declaration comes after two days of fighting in Karbala between members of the Mahdi Army and elements of Hakim's Badr organization. The clashes killed an estimated four dozen and wounded hundreds, bringing an early end to the religious festival that had drawn tens of thousands of Shiite pilgrims to Karbala.

Eyewitnesses in Karbala told IraqSlogger that initial clashes were touched off Monday evening when lightly armed supporters of the Sadrist current, who had walked to Karbala from the northwestern Baghdad neighborhood of Shu'la, attempted to pass through the checkpoints installed around the city while carrying their weapons.

It is unclear from conflicting accounts which side fired first. Security forces used “heavy machine guns” against the crowds, leading to a high death toll, local sources told IraqSlogger, saying that the gunfire of the security forces killed and injured pilgrims indiscriminately.

Sadr has called for an "impartial" investigation to determine how the battle began, though US military officials are already pointing the blame at his fighters.

"The initial indications confirm that elements from Mahdi Army were behind the recent attacks in Karbala," Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik, commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, told reporters today in Baghdad.

The U.S. commander added "the Iraqi Defense Minister is now in Karbala to investigate the incidents and who was behind it. The minister will take tough decision against security chiefs who failed to keep order in the city."

After the return of the Iraqi minister to Baghdad, Lt. Gen. Dubik pointed out, "we will have a detailed report on who was behind the attacks. A decision will be taken against them and the party behind them will be chased."

While the Sadrist movement has publicly appealed for calm in the wake of the Karbala fighting, sources in the Sadrist organization told IraqSlogger privately that they view the fighting in Karbala as a provocative strike by rival Shi'a forces against the popular movement.

The sense of persecution by their Shia rivals led elements of the Mahdi army to strike back, attacking and burning a number of SIIC offices, mostly in Baghdad. Sadr offered little insight to explain the decision to order his followers to halt all operations, but it likely resulted from a growing sense that events were quickly spiralling out of his control. The three-day closure of all of Sadr's political offices seems an obvious protective move, in anticipation of possible SIIC reprisals.

The coming days will be a test for Sadr. It's a bold move to publicly order his followers to stop fighting, but one which leaves him exposed. If he is unable to reign in his fighters, demonstrating a lack of discipline in their ranks, Sadr's leadership will be questioned.