Sadr's Followers Vow War if U.S. Attacks Iraq City
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By Khaled Yacoub Oweis
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Moqtada al-Sadr's core supporters vowed on Friday there would be all-out war if U.S. forces stormed Najaf, saying Iraq (news - web sites)'s Sh'ite Muslims would not let another of their leaders be killed with impunity.
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A 2,500-strong U.S. force is poised near the holy city of Najaf to kill or capture the young cleric, but has not yet attacked the city. The chances of peaceful compromise appeared to dim after Sadr vowed not to disband his Mehdi Army militia.
"You Americans, do not fall into a quagmire and storm Najaf. Rivers of your blood will flow," Sheikh Nasser al-Saedi told tens of thousands of Sadr supporters in Baghdad's Sadr City slum, named after the cleric's revered father and uncle.
The mood in Sadr City, from where Moqtada -- like his late father -- drew his main support, was charged with defiance. Chants such as "Yes, yes, Moqtada" thundered from the crowd.
Saedi said Sadr would triumph against an overwhelming enemy force, even if he died.
"We killed the American dream. You will not take over this country. You do not understand what martyrdom means. Look at our imams, who died for principle and belief," Saedi added. He was referring to Sadr's uncle, Imam Mohammad Baqer, one of Islam's foremost thinkers, and father Sayyed Mohammad Sadeq, who courted impoverished Shi'ites marginalized politically under former President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).
The two men are widely believed to have been killed by Saddam's agents.
Moqtada al-Sadr was himself quoted on Friday by the Lebanese newspaper as-Safir as saying that if he was killed or detained, Iraqis would respond with unimaginable "force and severity."
The young Sadr rose to prominence after the toppling of the Baathist government a year ago, taking advantage of a political vacuum and a slow pace of restoring basic services.
His followers rose against the U.S.-led occupation two weeks ago after the United States closed down the cleric's newspaper and arrested one of his top aides.
The clashes killed dozens in Sadr City, but there was no sign of U.S. forces there on Friday. U.S. tanks that were deployed withdrew and calm returned to the poor district.
MASS FOLLOWING
Outside the mosque, children played football in streets flowing with sewage. Skinny donkeys and goats scavenged on garbage in the middle of the road.
Saedi told the mostly young crowd that their lot had not improved under the U.S.-led occupation.
"The Americans said 400 projects have been executed costing billions of dollars. Where are these projects? Tell me, has the water you drink and electricity improved? Where is the security?" he said.
"They have no shame. Damn them always. Damn them until the apocalypse."
Residents said low living standards fueled support for Sadr and hostility toward the U.S. occupation.
"The Americans occupied the whole of Iraq in three weeks, but they cannot build one sewage pipe in the year since," said Abu Qada, an officer who lost his job when the United States disbanded the Iraqi army a year ago.
"Moqtada has risen to become the foremost Arab leader. His creed is Arabism and Islam, which the Americans are trying to destroy. Unlike what America thinks, Sadr has the support of the majority of the Shi'ites."
Many of Sadr's supporters say mainstream Shi'ites, such as leading cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and his followers, have no choice but to support Sadr.
Sistani, seen as a moderate, has urged Sh'ites to respect law and order while warning Washington against using force in Najaf, but he has stayed away from commenting directly on how to deal with his political rival Sadr.
"Sistani remained silent when Saddam killed Moqtada's father and millions here never forgave him for that," said merchant Abu Ghaith al-Aibi. "Sistani knows he cannot afford to stay asleep again if the Americans kill Moqtada."
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