Iraqi Shiite Muslim leader Moqtada Sadr accused the United States yesterday of making war on him and fomenting civil strife in the city of Karbala, where his supporters clashed with a rivalâs followers one week ago. âI declare I had nothing to do with any of the bloodshed and violence against anyone,â said Sadr, whom coalition officials have said is under investigation for links to several attacks involving his supporters. âI said before we must raise the slogan of non-violence and peaceful resistance,â the young scholar told thousands at the Kufa mosque, 150 kilometres south of Baghdad.
| "That's why we decided to raise our own army and set up our own government." |
Sadr said US forces were blaming him for last weekâs clashes between his militia, the Mehdi army, and the followers of preeminent Shiite scholar Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani. âThe Americans have used this division to make a war on me and discredit the Medhi army, especially since I declared a new government which does not make any difference between any group,â Sadr told worshippers.
| "That's right. There's no difference among any of the groups in Iraq. They're all subordinate to me." |
He rejected the notion of any feud between the Shiite factions. âThere is no war between the Shiites, like the liar satellite channels claim,â he said, alluding to the Arab television stations Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya which many Iraqis perceive as endorsing Saddam Husseinâs old regime. Sadr argued that he stood on the side of the just while the Americans looked to stir unrest among the countryâs 15 million-strong Shiite majority. âIt is a war between right and wrong. The occupation was "supporting the attackers (in Karbala) giving them ammunition and weapons,â he said. Sadr lashed out at the Iraqi police for helping US troops. Earlier in the week several Sadr supporters were detained in a raid on the Al Mokhayam Mosque in Karbala, which Americans insist was conducted by Iraqi police. |