Shiite cleric (al-Sadr) moves to sacred shrine

ABC News (Australia) ^ | 4.7.04

[ambrose]

Shiite cleric moves to sacred shrine

By Peter Cave in Baghdad

The Shiite cleric at the centre of an uprising by tens of thousands of his supporters across central and southern Iraq has reportedly moved from his headquarters in Kufa to one of the most sacred Shia shrines in the holy city of Najaf.

Moqtada al-Sadr is reportedly in the Imman Ali shrine, surrounded by thousands of armed supporters who have taken over religious, government and police buildings in the holy city.

Mr Sadr has been threatened with arrest for the murder of a rival cleric a year ago in an argument over the rightful possession of the shrine.

His followers have been involved in continuing clashes with coalition forces in many southern cities, including Nasiriyah where 15 have died in battles with Italian troops and Amara where 12 have died.

Bulgarian troops in Karbala came under attack with grenades and machine gun fire but no casualties were reported in the town, where Sadr supporters have taken over a number of public buildings.

[mass55th]

Run Moqie run! Your days are numbered. We can do this the easy way or the hard way, but either way, it's gonna' be our way!!

[Bommer]

NUKE IT! Sent the message to the Muslim world. Kill 12 of us and we'll kill 12,000 of you!

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[ambrose]

Better yet, send Janet Reno and her tanks to deal with the Mosque.

[traumer]

Like Noriega 'moved' to the Vatican Embassy in Panama...
SMART :o)

(time to load helicopters with some Barbara Streisand CDs)

[CTpatriot]

It is time to turn all of Fallujah to glass.

End of story.

Have a nice day.

[Dutch Boy]

So, in other words he is a coward. He lets others die while he hides in mosque. His people should rip him in pieces for his cowardness.

[RetiredArmy]

If he is a target, then this damned building is a target. Screw him, bomb the place to bits of dirt! 12 Marines killed today. No more Mr. Nice Guy. Bomb them to dirt.

[TomGuy]

The little Shi'ite Sadr doesn't think the Marines will come in after him. The little coward. Sort of like the Palestinians who hid in the Church in Bethlahem a couple years ago. But Sadr sure doesn't mind that his followers are out in the streets killing and being killed while the little Shi'ite is hiding in the mosque.

[mtbopfuyn]

We can't bomb it but we can sure turn off the water and wait him out.

[onedoug]

Well, if we couldn't catch him on the run, at least he and the bulk of his jihadis are all in one place.

[JebRudy2008]

MOAB

[Sender]

If a wasp flew up into your Grandma's crystal lamp and you had to kill that wasp, what would you do?

A- smash the lamp, wasp and all, and suffer Grandma's wrath
B- wait patiently, it has to come out sometime
C- Raid/Black Flag/Hot Shot

[Paradox]

Send in some knockout gas, then allow some muslim troops (non-shiite) to go in there and grab is sorry a$$.

[mewzilla]

Wasn't that shrine the site of some big bombing last year? al-Sadr didn't have anything to do with that, did he? If so, he's got a lot of gall hiding out there.

[ChinaThreat]

I would use a thermo-nuclear device with a large yield and then follow up with bio-chem weapons and then douse the lamp with kerosene and kill grandma if she complained!

[ambrose]

First good idea. While it may be amusing to call for massacres, it will only play into their hand if we actually did so.. Radical Muslim clerics are a dime-a-dozen in that part of the world.. They're hoping for either a Draconinan response or no a "cut and run" non-response.

[alloysteel]

The first couple of hundred prisoners taken in Fallujah should be transported to Najaf, and handed back the weapons they surrendered upon capture. They will then be let out on the street across from this sacred mosque, and be allowed to take all necessary steps to preserve themselves. Except retreat.

"Street Fighting Breaks Out Between Shi'ite and Sunni Forces!"

Kind of like a reality video game.