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TechnoratiShiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for an end to clashes between his militia fighters and Iraqi troops, saying Friday that his threat of an "open war" applied only to U.S.-led foreign forces.
In a sermon read by an aide during Friday prayers in Baghdad's militia stronghold of Sadr City, the cleric also urged Iraqi soldiers and policemen "not to support the occupiers in combating your brothers."
Al-Sadr issued a "final warning" to the government Saturday to halt its crackdown against the Mahdi Army or face an "open war until liberation."
The statement on al-Sadr's Web site singled out the Iraqi government led by fellow Shiite Nouri al-Maliki, accusing him of selling out to the Americans. Friday's sermon appeared to be an attempt to ease tensions.
Al-Sadr - who is believed to be in Iran - called on worshippers to remain patient and united.
"If we have threatened with an open war until liberation, we have meant by it a war against the occupier," said the sermon, which was read by the mosque's imam Sheik Hassan al-Edhari.
"I call upon my brothers in police, army and Mahdi army to stop the bloodshed," the sermon said. "We should be one hand in achieving justice, security and in supporting the resistance in all of its forms."
"There will be no war between our Iraqi brothers, whatever their sect or ethnicity," it said.
Military operations launched by al-Maliki late last month in the southern city of Basra led to daily clashes between militia fighters and U.S.-backed Iraqi troops, focused mainly in sprawling Sadr City. Militiamen also fought Iraqi security forces to a virtual standstill last month in Basra before an Iranian-supervised truce.
Years of intense fighting between Shiites and Sunnis had only recently ebbed.
Senior al-Sadr aide Hazim al-Aaraji told The Associated Press that the new message was also intended to be read in Basra but a delegation from the movement was prevented from entering the city. They read it in the southern city of Nasiriyah instead, he said.
"The statement is for all but we aimed for it to be read in Basra and Sadr City because of the violence going on in these two areas," he said. "The aim was to ease the situation in Basra and Sadr City."
The Sadrists accuse al-Maliki, a political rival, of trying to sideline them ahead of expected provincial elections in the fall. They appear divided over whether to launch a full-scale fight against U.S.-led forces or focus on political efforts.
A decision by al-Sadr to lift a nearly eight-month cease-fire would jeopardize recent security gains and threaten an increase of attacks against U.S. troops.
On Thursday, al-Maliki vowed that the crackdown on Shiite militias had won broad political support from Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish political parties and would continue.
The U.S. military said American and Iraqi forces killed 10 militants in overnight clashes in northeastern Baghdad. Most were killed by Hellfire missiles launched from Apache helicopter gunships against groups of militants preparing to fire on U.S. and Iraqi forces from different parts of the district, according to a statement.
Local hospital officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said seven people, including two women, were killed and 45 others were wounded in the clashes that were centered in the Sadr City district.
Witnesses said the clashes ended in the early hours Friday.
Meanwhile, the military said a U.S. soldier was killed in a roadside bombing south of Baghdad.
The attack raised the American death toll in April to 39, the highest rate of death for troops in Iraq since September, when 65 Americans were killed, according to an Associated Press tally.
In all, at least 4,051 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, the AP tally showed.
Associated Press writers Selcan Hacaoglu and Hamid Ahmed contributed to this report.
© 2008 Associated Press
8 Comments so far
Show AllAl-Sadr will gladly take control of Iraq, turning it into a strong-arm, forced extremist Islamic state. I would hate to be a woman or non-Muslim in Al-Sadr's Iraq. This guy's tongue has so many forks, he could set a banquet.
finally they have seen the light..............
Al-Sadr may just be the man who could play a vital role in the Iraq bloodbath theater. The tragically ironic part in all of this is that a SHIITE is calling for peace between all sects and ethnicities inside Iraq and recognize that it is indeed the USA that is the real enemy inside Iraq (and therefore calling to arms against the Americans) - with the USA inside Iraq originally to help the Shiite majority overthrow Saddam. His only beef with al-Maliki is that he is becoming the new USA stooge. This call for unity could very well be advantageous to al-Sadr, provided that the vast majority of the Iraqi populace trusts al-Sadr - which seems to be the case. After all, the vast majority of Iraqis are against USA presence in Iraq and know what is going on about the REAL purposes of the USA inside Iraq. It will be interesting to see how this all turns out. I wager though that it will not be pretty.
Sadr called a ceasefire last August. In March, he reminded his followers that they could use their weapons only in self-defense. He wanted a million-Iraqi march on Baghdad to protest the US occupation, but had to call it off because of the likelihood that violence would result.
All these NONVIOLENT actions have been in response to the daily attacks by al-Maliki's forces, the US and Great Britain in which hundreds of Iraqi civilians have been killed (you might more correctly say murdered). This morning, the BBC reported that Sadr asked that all sides lay down their arms and that Iraqis should not be killing one another.
I don't see that yet in the US media. Instead, the words used over and over are "the anti-American cleric" and the "firebrand." The media say almost every day that "violence broke out again," or "sporadic fighting has again occurred" without admitting that the US and Maliki are the attackers every time.
This guy Al-Sadr is about the only leader who speaks about the situation in Iraq and makes any sense at all.
Oust the occupier and don't kill your Iraqi "brothers," no matter the ethnicity or sect.
Exactly what our leaders would be saying if a foreign superpower were occupying the US.
Yes, it's time for an End To Iraqi Bloodshed.
There is an ocean of Iraqi blood between the Bushes. It is enough to keep red roses blooming for eternity.
Don't you just love the publicity of US medics treating injured Iraqis in Sadr City?
Nary a peep about the demanded-by-US and US-backed attacks that caused the 'injuries'.
Another semantic issue - when do combat caused WOUNDS get redefined as 'injuries'?
just as predicted when a country unites to drive out the occupier, it is time for the US to leave, now that the fort has been built (embassy) and money wasted and stolen and the appointed thieves have lined their pockets, via unbid contracts and oil control, ("Iraq Oil, will pay for this war") sending this country into dollar drain, when it could have lead the world in new energy,inventiveness, ie... a trillion dollars would have gone a long way to finding new and better alternatives, or lets say 50- billion to each state for education, (less than one year funding for the Iraq FiascoGate,) would be fabulous boon to our students and country, how about a ten billion dollar award to the college or university that comnes up with a molecule splitter, that splits hydrogen will you drive your car and burns it then waters your lawn when you get home, time to think my people and help peo;e, not harm and make enemies, I sent a letter to Jimmy Carter years ago talking about the US foreign Policy about spreading guns bombs and greeds around the globe instead of hoes, rakes and seeds, you make more friends with honey than hate, a friend, instead of a police state, arming is counter to what the world needs, friends hug with arms not shoot with them, we need to make what ever treaties with the people of Iraq, to help them educate and rebuild, and get ourselves out , it is their land, religous fanatics and all, no one wants to deal with nuts, that will isolate them and thier own brothers and sisters will recognize that, we are all in this together, ONE planet, ONE place, One Family, ONE LOVE, get it together, or we will not be able to take care of the larger luming problems of globel proportions, water and soil degredation, fish depletion, deforestation desertification, to name a few, not to mention expolosive population growth, and no religion is going to fix the mass starvation coming,