Posted on 08/19/2004 6:22:10 AM PDT by epluribus_2
Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr has rejected an Iraqi government ultimatum to renounce violence and disband his militia, says a senior aide.
The head of al-Sadr's office in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya, Aus al-Khafaji, told Aljazeera Thursday afternoon that the Shia leader had refused to accept a list of tough conditions set out a few hours earlier by Minister of State Kasim Daud.
The rejections raises the prospect of a major assault by US and Iraqi forces to retake the area of Najaf where al-Sadr and his al-Mahdi Army militia are holed up.
At least five people have been killed in the city on Thursday.
Speaking in Najaf, Daud, announced "final-hour conditions" that he said the Shia leader had to meet and warned that "military action is imminent".
Tough conditions
Effectively calling for a complete surrender, Daud said al-Sadr would be required to announce in person at a press conference that he would disband the al-Mahdi Army.
"Military action is imminent"
Minister of State Kasim Daud
Al-Sadr would also be required to hand over the militia's weapons held anywhere in Iraq and permanently renounce violence.
Al-Sadr would also have to submit lists of people tried by his religious courts and release all detainees, including Iraqi police, soldiers and national guardsmen, "otherwise the coming hours will be decisive".
Iraqi government officials have dismissed as "trickery" calls from al-Sadr for a negotiated settlement, saying thier patience has been exhausted.
Al-Sadr aides say the Shia leader has already accepted a peace deal brokered by a delegation sent by the Iraqi National Conference earlier in the week, saying that the interim government of Prime Minister Iyyad Allawi was blocking the accord.
Controversial offensive
"We have been preparing for a military offensive for five days to put an end to this crisis," Daud said.
US troop presence in Najaf has angered many Muslims
But such an attack on Najaf's Old City – which houses the revered Imam Ali mosque and shrine – remains highly controversial. Recent fighting in the area has inflamed Muslim opinion across the region, especially among Shia believers who view the site as sacred.
The presence of US forces in such an offensive on a revered Muslim site is seen as especially inflammatory, prompting the Iraqi government to insist its own troops will lead any attack.
Meanwhile, gunfire and explosions have reverberated around Najaf's Old City as clashes between al-Mahdi Army fighters and US-led forces continue. US marines and tanks are reportedly positioned within 200 metres of the Imam Ali mosque.
A mortar attack on a police station elsewhere in the city on Thursday killed five people and wounded 21 others, police said.
Aljazeera
This guy ought to work for the Kerry campaign.
Time to break out the big guns. Offer Sadr the Vice Chair of Security in the new Iraqi gov't.
he has been since April, if I read the polls correctly.
No. And I don't think the Iraqis expected any other result, either.
Let's Roll!
I think we'll be going in after him real soon.............
Just take all of yesterdays threads on this story and put in todays date and its current.
We have to make sure we don't kill him and make him a martyr.
If that is the case, then they should direct their anger at those putting the site in danger.....Al Sadr and his bunch.
Mookie gets his virgins today!!!
Where is that "Ah geeze...not this s**t again" poster? As many times as he has changed his mind, he could run for president as a Democrat!
It is WAY past time to rid Iraq of this POS. He is not worth one more Marine's life.
Finish this guy off today!!! Oh, and .... don't forget to wrap his body in pig guts.
Sadr does have the chance here to let the "good" shiites (those who opposed Saddam but not the U.S.) look pretty respectable in comparison. By taking the high road, the moderates can establish themselves as capable of ruling 2/3's of Iraq.
LOL. He'd fit right in. A liar, plus a fat boy just like Michael Moore.
Can someone keep a live running thread of this all day? Not much else I am interested in today. Then again, that is selfish on my part and I do apologize.
yesterday's papers, yesterday's news.
One for the Muslims, one for the rest of the world.
moderator - can you change the title to add LIVE THREAD
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