Veni, vidi, vici, exii....
Iraqi cleric warns U.S. to leave before 'we force you out'
Barry James/IHT International Herald Tribune
Saturday, April 19, 2003
Amid cheers at the Abu Haneefa Al Nu'man mosque in Baghdad, a leading cleric warned Americans on Friday to get out of Iraq before they are forced out, and thousands of people took to the streets crying "No to America, no to Saddam!"
As Shiite and Sunni Muslims prayed together for the first time since U.S. forces entered the city, the cleric, Ahmed al Kubeisy, used his sermon to attack what he called the U.S. occupation, telling the Americans, "you are the masters today, but I warn you against thinking of staying. Get out before we force you out."
Another cleric warned that "long queues of holy warriors" were lining up to fight the Americans.
Then the worshipers, joining a large crowd outside, marched peacefully, calling for unity among the country's Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish populations. "Our revolution is Islamic," they chanted, in the biggest nationalist demonstration in many years.
A large banner said: "Leave our country. We want peace."
A U.S. patrol was surrounded by part of the crowd and one of the soldiers, fingering his rifle, told people to back off, "or I'm going to shoot you."
An elderly woman shouted back: "We have our pride."
The Iraqi police, who have only just returned to duty, escorted the nervous Americans away from the crowd.
Also Friday, Abu Dhabi television broadcast a video purported to be of President Saddam Hussein, which it said was shot in Baghdad the day that Americans entered the city.
It showed him shaking hands and embracing people in a large crowd, and waving from the hood of an automobile as the crowd chanted, "with our blood and souls, we redeem you, Oh Saddam!" His son Qusay also appeared on the video as he was carried shoulder high by his supporters. The video intensified the rumors in Baghdad that Saddam is still alive.
[...]
iht.com |
