Shia Leaders tell al-Sadr to leave Najaf

newsday ^ | 5/6/04 | newsday

[Mark Felton]

Leaders of Iraq's largest Shia Muslim tribes have offered renegade cleric Muqtada al-Sadr a face-saving deal -- and an ultimatum -- to leave the holy city of Najaf.

The arrangement would give al-Sadr a chance to avoid humiliation by surrendering to the tribal leaders instead of being arrested by U.S. troops. But it would still require him to stand trial in an Iraqi court in the assassination of a rival cleric last year. It would also require al-Sadr to disarm his militia, the Mahdi Army, which has been fighting with U.S. forces for more than a month....."

[VisualizeSmallerGovernment]

Gee. All of a sudden, people don't want to be arrested by the Americans. How strange.

[Frank_Discussion]

AHAHAHAHAHAA!!!

Sad Sack Sadr!

[Mark Felton]

The auto excerpt feature lost my paragraphs.

Try this...........

Leaders of Iraq's largest Shia Muslim tribes have offered renegade cleric Muqtada al-Sadr a face-saving deal -- and an ultimatum -- to leave the holy city of Najaf.

The arrangement would give al-Sadr a chance to avoid humiliation by surrendering to the tribal leaders instead of being arrested by U.S. troops. But it would still require him to stand trial in an Iraqi court in the assassination of a rival cleric last year. It would also require al-Sadr to disarm his militia, the Mahdi Army, which has been fighting with U.S. forces for more than a month.


The deal has the blessings of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, according to several people involved in drafting it, and while U.S. officials have not yet been presented with the full details, they appear willing to accept it. The tribal leaders told al-Sadr yesterday that he had until only May 15 to accept the offer. If he turns it down, he will lose the tribes' backing. That would effectively give the U.S. military a green light to arrest or kill al-Sadr and crush his militia by launching an attack on Najaf.

"This is an attempt to solve the legal question, and not just the security question," said Sheik Fatih Kashif al-Ghitta, a member of a prominent Najaf religious family and one of the deal's architects. "And to solve it in a way that doesn't humiliate Muqtada, that doesn't humiliate the Iraqi people and that doesn't humiliate the Americans."

[Frank_Discussion]

HO LEE CRAAAAP!!

I had not thought of THAT result! The Rule of Unintended Consequences, or something more?

[tet68]

Finally some sense of reality dawns, and it's good that
the tribes are considering American sensibilities in the mix
it means we are recognized.
And of course having the Iraqi people handle their own affairs IS what we want.

[TexanToTheCore]

Al SAdr will refuse the offer. We will go in belching fire and lead. End of Al Sadr.

[prairiebreeze]

ping

[Robert_Paulson2]

interesting.
time to give rummy....
a RAISE!

[AmericaUnited]

Yes, a picture of him whacking off while naked would do some damage to his image as the great spiritual leader and keeper of the holy places. :)

[atomicpossum]

Gee. All of a sudden, people don't want to be arrested by the Americans. How strange.

Damn. I wanted to see the pics of Al Sadr forced to perform fellatio on Saddam....

[No Blue States]

"The tribal leaders told al-Sadr yesterday that he had until only May 15 to accept the offer. If he turns it down, he will lose the tribes' backing. That would effectively give the U.S. military a green light to arrest or kill al-Sadr and crush his militia by launching an attack on Najaf."

May 5th sounds better, but this offer seems to have strong backing.

[Ramius]

I agree. I read this as a very positive development. Iraqis getting a start at solving their own problems.

I don't really trust him, but this Sistani fellow seems to have his head in the right space, so far.

[Peach]

Gee. All of a sudden, people don't want to be arrested by the Americans. How strange.

That was my first thought but I wouldn't have stated it so well. Hah!

[swheats]

Well the prison photos seems to have given our guys cover in the media, at least, while the military went into Najaf.

[olde north church]

Excellent Pernt!

[xlib]

Gee. All of a sudden, people don't want to be arrested by the Americans. How strange.

Are you saying that the world has been rope-a-doped again by the master of misunderestimation? Almost makes me nostalgic for my conspiracy theory phase...

[NeonKnight]

Lets see. We now have Falujans fighting Falujans...Shiites fighting Shiites. Does anyone else see a pattern happening here? Did somebody once say something about turning our enemies against each other?

[ken5050]

Note that a few days ago, the CPA installed an ex-saddam general as mayor of Fallujah for about two days...Sistani got the message real fast..