Iraq’s top Shi’ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini al-Sistani, arrived at the gates of the holy city of Najaf on Thursday in a bid to end weeks of fighting between United States forces and Iraqi insurgents there, his aides said.
”We are now in Najaf,” said Hamed al-Khafaf, an al-Sistani assistant.
Traveling in an armoured car, al-Sistani left the southern city of Basra in a 30-vehicle convoy of sport utility vehicles earlier on Thursday.
Al-Sistani (75) returned to Iraq on Wednesday after spending several weeks in London for medical treatment.
The cleric wields enormous influence among Shi’ite Iraqis and his return could play a crucial role in stabilising the Najaf crisis, which has worsened in his absence.
Najaf Governor Adnan al-Zurufi declared a 24-hour ceasefire from the time al-Sistani arrives in Najaf to give the militants a chance to decide whether to accept the cleric’s peace plan.
”Immediately after that, the operation will start again if the militia disagree on what Ayatollah al-Sistani said,” he said.
He also said that Iraqi and US forces will temporarily pull back from positions near the revered Imam Ali Shrine to allow for peace efforts.
Al-Sistani’s aides said thousands of chanting supporters ran out to greet the convoy as it passed through the town of Samawah.
”It seems that there are huge crowds joining the march in every city we pass by,” al-Khafaf said.
About 20 of al-Sistani’s vehicles were filled with armed guards to protect the ageing cleric.
The convoy was joined by at least 1 000 cars, apparently filled with Shi’ite supporters heeding a call al-Sistani’s aides made a day earlier to march on Najaf to stop the violence.
Al-Sistani had called for Iraqis to march to Najaf on Thursday, but al-Khafaf said the demonstrators should stop on the edge of the holy city and wait for al-Sistani to arrive and give them instructions before entering. — Sapa-AP
Najaf uprising seems to be near end