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/ 25 March 2008

Iraq’s al-Sadr threatens ‘civil revolt’

Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called on Iraqis to stage sit-ins and threatened a countrywide ”civil revolt” if attacks by United States and Iraqi security forces continue against his followers. ”We call upon all Iraqis to stage sit-ins all over Iraq as a first step,” Sadr said in a statement read out by senior aide Hazem al-Araji.

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/ 15 September 2007

New blow to faltering Iraq political process

The movement of radical Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Saturday it would withdraw from the Shi’ite bloc that leads the Iraqi government, in a new blow to the faltering political process. ”The Sadr bloc will hold a press conference in Najaf this evening [Saturday] where it will announce its decision to withdraw from the Shi’ite alliance,” Sadr spokesperson Saleh al-Obeidi said.

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/ 29 August 2007

Iraq’s al-Sadr suspends militia activities

Iraq’s radical Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday ordered his Mehdi Army militia to suspend its activities for six months in a bid to reorganise the militant group. ”I direct the Mehdi Army to suspend all its activities for six months until it is restructured in a way that helps honour the principles for which it is formed,” Sadr said in a statement.

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/ 9 April 2007

Baghdad under curfew while Iraqis protest

Baghdad was under curfew on Monday, the fourth anniversary of the fall of the capital to United States forces, as Iraqis gathered in the city of Najaf for a big anti-US protest called by fiery cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. ”No, no, to the occupation; no, no to America,” thousands of marching Iraqis chanted as they marched through the southern city.

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/ 21 February 2007

Car bomb hits holy city as Iraq war rages on

Bombers and gunmen launched bloody attacks in several Iraqi cities on Wednesday, killing more than 20 people on the day Britain and Denmark announced they would begin withdrawing their troops. In the worst assault, a suicide car bomber struck in the Shi’ite holy city of Najaf, detonating explosives as a police patrol stopped him from entering the old city home to the revered Imam Ali Mausoleum.

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/ 20 December 2004

Iraqi leaders defiant after twin bombings

Iraqi Shi’ite leaders braced on Monday for greater violence but vowed to push ahead with elections in January after twin car bombs claimed the lives of 66 people in the pilgrimage cities of Najaf and Karbala. The bombings were a stark reminder of the violence that could lie ahead in the six weeks before the January 30 elections.

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/ 29 August 2004

Uneasy peace in rubble of Najaf

The noise of the two Black Hawk helicopters shattered the eerie silence that on Saturday had enveloped the city of Najaf. On board were a team of five Iraqi ministers led by Minister of State Kasim Daoud. They landed and were driven in a convoy, led by police cars with sirens wailing, through streets littered with the wreckage of battle, to the sacred Imam Ali shrine to inspect the damage.

  • It’s peace but the dead are everywhere
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    / 20 August 2004

    Al-Sadr dangles keys to shrine

    Followers loyal to radical Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Friday they were prepared to hand control of the revered Imam Ali Shrine to top Shi’ite religious authorities in a bid to end a two-week-old uprising in the holy city of Najaf. United States tanks were on the streets, but residents reported seeing some of al-Sadr’s Mehdi army militia pulling out of the city.

  • Najaf faces final assault
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    / 1 June 2004

    Fresh truce stands in Najaf

    The governor of Najaf said on Tuesday a fresh truce has been reached between United States-led coalition forces and the militia of firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in an effort to end weeks of battles. US troops will halt patrols in the city and withdraw to five bases in Najaf, chiefly outside the governor’s office and the police headquarters.

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    / 27 May 2004

    Shiite radical offers Najaf deal to US

    Shiite Muslim radical leader Moqtada al-Sadr has offered to withdraw his fighters from the Iraqi holy city of Najaf if United States forces pull out as part of a deal to end weeks of bitter fighting. Al-Sadr also called for the postponement of legal proceedings against him over his alleged role in the murder of a rival cleric.

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    / 25 May 2004

    Shrine damaged in Iraq clashes

    One of the most sacred shrines of Shia Islam suffered minor damage during clashes on Tuesday between United States forces and radical Shiite militiamen that killed at least 13 Iraqis, some of them civilians. It was unclear who was responsible for the damage to the shrine.