"In a parallel development, two of Washington's strongest allies in Iraq, Italy and Poland, called for the transfer of real authority to the Iraqis on June 30."
I wonder if Poland and Italy are trying to bring the war to a close?
ted
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INSURGENTS
Cleric Tells Fighters and Occupiers to Leave Sacred Cities
By EDWARD WONG
Published: May 19, 2004
KARBALA, Iraq, May 18 — The country's most influential cleric called Tuesday for the withdrawal of all armies from two holy cities, Karbala and Najaf, in an effort to end days of bloody fighting and preserve the sanctity of Shiite shrines.
The Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, demanded in a statement that "armed forces" must "leave the holy cities and open the way for the police and tribal forces." His remarks were directed at both American troops and militiamen loyal to Moktada al-Sadr, a young rebel cleric who ignited an insurrection against the occupation forces six weeks ago.
Ayatollah Sistani also asked people to stage peaceful protests in the cities against the fighting.
In a parallel development, two of Washington's strongest allies in Iraq, Italy and Poland, called for the transfer of real authority to the Iraqis on June 30.
American and other occupation troops have been clashing in cities across southern Iraq with rebel Shiite militias.
The fiercest battles have been in Karbala, where American soldiers are dug in at a mosque once held by the insurgents. Last Friday, violence erupted in the sprawling cemetery near the center of Najaf, as American tanks encircled the area to kill militiamen who were firing mortars from among the graves.
The battles have been inching ever closer to the Shrine of Ali in Najaf and the Shrines of Hussein and Abbas in Karbala, dedicated to the three most revered martyrs of Shiite Islam.
Ayatollah Sistani's statement, issued by his office, was his strongest criticism of the fighting between the Americans and Mr. Sadr.<b. Though Ayatollah Sistani is believed to dislike Mr. Sadr, and the Americans are relying on him to rein in the rebel cleric, the ayatollah noticeably did not single out either side. The Shiite religious establishment has yet to condemn Mr. Sadr, presumably because senior clerics are reluctant to turn on one of their own.
Some clerics have already asked Mr. Sadr to withdraw from the holy cities, but he has yet to comply, and it is unlikely that he will heed Ayatollah Sistani's demands, even though he has said he will disarm his militia if the grand ayatollahs demand it.
Mr. Sadr's influence is based on the popularity of his martyred father, Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr, who denounced Ayatollah Sistani and other senior clerics for what he called their complacency in the face of Saddam Hussein's oppression.
On Tuesday afternoon, occupation officials said they had not received a copy of Ayatollah Sistani's statement. "We have to obviously look closely at it, make a determination as to whether or not Ayatollah Sistani has expressed wishes on this particular issue," said Dan Senor, a spokesman for the occupation.
An American officer said in an interview in Karbala that the military would press its campaign against Mr. Sadr.
"He is going to either have his militia lay down their arms, or we're going to defeat them," said the officer, Brig. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, assistant division commander for support of the First Armored Division, which is trying to crush Mr. Sadr's forces.
General Hertling, on a visit from Baghdad, said there were indications that a steady flow of fighters from outside the cities was bolstering the insurgent Mahdi Army, which is generally made up of young, poor Shiite men. The general declined to give more details on the fighters, but field commanders here in Karbala said members of Mr. Hussein's elite Special Republican Guard, mostly well-trained Sunni Arab warriors, could be joining the insurgent forces here.
After American soldiers occupied the Mukhaiyam Mosque in downtown Karbala, an insurgent stronghold, on May 12, they found identification cards that an Iraqi interpreter said were Iranian. The military is still examining the cards and other documents to determine their origins, said Capt. Noel Gorospe, a spokesman for the First Armored Division.
While Ayatollah Sistani's demands would hold little sway with non-Shiite insurgents, among many Shiites his word as a member of the marjaiah, a council of four grand ayatollahs of Najaf, is tantamount to an edict from Allah. Many Sunni Muslims also respect him, but they do not accord him the same level of reverence.
nytimes.com |
