U.S. Forces Seek to 'Kill or Capture' Iraq Cleric
By Tabassum Zakaria
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. commanders in Iraq (news - web sites) want rebellious Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr dead or alive but they said on Monday his militia's control of the holy city of Najaf was not a widespread uprising by the Shi'ite majority
"The mission of the U.S. forces is to kill or capture Moqtada al-Sadr," Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of ground forces in Iraq, said in a video conference from Baghdad with reporters at the Pentagon (news - web sites).
Gen. John Abizaid, head of Central Command that covers Iraq, on the same video conference said Sadr was being isolated by fellow Shi'ites.
"Moqtada al-Sadr is isolating himself," Abizaid said. "This was not by any stretch of the imagination a Shi'ite uprising."
U.S. forces have been trying to douse a rebellion in several towns and cities by followers of Sadr, a firebrand Shi'ite cleric whose grassroots supporters are also seen as aiding rival insurgents from the Sunni minority against the U.S. occupation.
Sanchez acknowledged Sadr's followers have "some presence" in Kerbala and still control Najaf, where thousands of Shi'ite pilgrims are marking the death of one of their holiest figures.
He said U.S. forces were on the outskirts of the city, ready to attack, but they had refrained so far out of respect for Shi'ite beliefs.
"We are respecting the fact that there is a religious celebration ongoing," he said. "We have maneuvered forces down into the vicinity of Najaf to ensure that we're all prepared to conduct offensive operations to eliminate the final elements of Moqtada al-Sadr influence down there," Sanchez said.
After some of the bloodiest fighting since the fall of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), the general said southern Iraq was now stable and that U.S. forces had taken clear control of al Kut, reestablished control of Nassiriya and stabilized Hilla.
In addition to dealing with a Shi'ite rebellion in the south, U.S. forces have faced Sunni attackers in the Falluja area, which erupted with the killing and mutilation of four American contractors.
A tenuous cease-fire has been called in Falluja, but insurgents continue to attack U.S. forces, Sanchez said.
"We are not negotiating at this point until we achieve some confidence building and a period of stability. Then we would consider going into significant negotiations to end this battle," he said. "But at this point we have had continued attacks by the insurgents."
Abizaid said the Marines have been "very precise" in conducting military operations and have tried to protect civilians, and he criticized the Arab media -- specifically Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya -- for portraying the situation as U.S. forces targeting civilians.
A recent wave of hostage taking has added a new problem for coalition forces and countries to address.
Two American soldiers and seven contractors with U.S. firm Kellogg, Brown & Root are missing, Sanchez said, but added that it was not known whether they had been taken hostage.
Abizaid said he has asked the Pentagon for two brigades of "strong mobile combat arms capability" but refused to provide more details.
There are usually about 5,000 troops in a brigade, but it was unclear whether the troops would be in addition to the roughly 130,000 on the ground in Iraq or as replacements for some of them. A decision on that request was expected "soon," a defense official said.