Al Sadr Calls For Calm, Maintains Ceasfire After Sunday Battle
Despite all the controversy regarding Sunday’s attack, Al Sadr issued the following statement:
Ground forces called for air support after encountering fierce resistance in a raid targeting a suspected Iranian-linked leader of a kidnapping ring in Sadr City on Sunday, although casualty tolls conflicted. The Americans said 49 militants were killed, but Iraqi officials insisted the number of casualties was 15—all civilians.
Aides to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr condemned the raid but urged followers to abide by his orders to refrain from violence despite what it called “the crimes of the Americans.”
“We call upon al-Sadr’s people to show self-restraint. Their reaction should be peaceful and should not violate the order … to freeze their activities,” said Falah al-Obeidi at the cleric’s Sadr City office.
Al-Sadr later issued his own statement urging his Mahdi Army militia not to harm or kill fellow Iraqis. He also appeared to call on members of Iraqi government forces to stop cooperating with the U.S. military.
“You army and police of Iraq, don’t kill an Iraqi in the name of secular laws or in the name of ‘imposing the law,’” he said, using his phrase for the security crackdown in Baghdad and surrounding areas.
The U.S. military has said repeatedly that it welcomed al-Sadr’s order to his Mahdi Army fighters but pledged to continue its crackdown against what it says are breakaway factions that are being armed and trained by Iran.
(AP)
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Methinks Mookie’s had about enough of JAM-MNF faceoffs. Which Gen. P. is taking advantage of, hammering it every time it causes problems. Eventually JAM will have to respond, and then it’s Sayonara Sadr.
October 25th, 2007 at 11:06 pm