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.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

I disagree.

I think that Imam Sadr's lieutenant, Mustafa al-Yacoubi, was arrested and the Sadr newspaper shut down in order to provoke the radicals into open hostilities to be killed before June 30. Beats flushing them out one at a time after roadside bombings.

</conspiracy theory>

[mrsmith]

Najaf is where his revered father was Imam, and was assassinated leaving a mosque.

What a weakling this one is.

[ambrose]

Yep. This is a WAR, not some cartoonish game. This is a long-term fight, yet we have people responding to each unfolding event.

It is hard to imagine fighting WWII under this current 24/7 instant analysis news cycle.

[Nebr FAL owner]

Pork products such as lard & bacon grease dispersed in 5 galon buckets fitted sith small explosive charges , hell send in a dozen live animals at 0300hrs. the reaction of the crowd surrounding the shrine should be interesting to see for those who have never witnessed a "Chinese fire drill comlete with bells,whistles,& sirens".

[chilepepper]

Good idea! A NEUTRON BOMB would leave the shrine intact!

[Prime Choice]

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

Good plan! Same goes for food and medicine.

[Prime Choice]

Spot on the money. You know your stuff. Thanks!

[Jeff Head]

It is hard to imagine fighting WWII under this current 24/7 instant analysis news cycle.

It would not have been allowed, even if there had been those so foolish to try it under those austere conditions.

We could be heading for equally austere conditions of we are not very careful.

[FreedomCalls]

Moqtada al-Sadr is reportedly in the Imman Ali shrine, surrounded by thousands of armed supporters

If it is now a militia command post surrounded by an armed militia, it has lost its status as a protected religious site under the Geneva Conventions. It's time to call in an air strike.

[Sender]

Woohoo! You guys are hired! But let's try to save Grandma, ok? She makes such nice cookies.

[aught-6]

Fumigate!

[Sender]

I agree, even if a building is a mosque or a Baptist church for that matter, if it is full of armed hostiles and has become an enemy command post, it just lost its holy status. It is merely concealment, not cover.

[davisfh]

"Shiite cleric (al-Sadr) moves to sacred shrine"

Sacred shrine my behind. Go get him and waste the shrine if necessary.

[RUCKUS INC.]

"But let's try to save Grandma, ok? She makes such nice cookies."

The whole point in killing the wasp is TO save Grandma. Even if she doesn't like the methods, it is in her best interest.

[sheik yerbouty]

They won't They would first eat the product of his nether passage, and call it nuggets of gold.

[null and void]

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

Last time I had a wasp in a lamp, I caught it and let it go outside.

Some things are more valuable than a møøselimb...

[Destructor]

Boy, there sure are a lot of "holy cities" within the country of Iraq! As I recall, one of the Shiites "most holy mosques" is inside of the Baghdad city limits. Anyone else get the feeling that we are being played like a fish on a line?

Asshole cleric runs into a mosque, then has his followers shout that it is Iraq's "most holy mosque" and it is within Iraq's "most holy city." Americans are too terrified of being politically incorrect to go after the bad guys in a mosque.

[eccentric]

Remember napalm? okay, how about using the same planes to dump pork grease over the mosque!

[aomagrat]

Find the sacred shrine in this photograph.

[Cuttnhorse]

What I'm hoping for is US Marine snipers complaining of sore trigger fingers.