Shiite Muslim radical leader Moqtada Sadr warned a rival Shiite faction Friday not to side with the US-led coalition in Iraq against him and his Mehdi Army militia. He also took a swipe at the Najaf-based Shiite religious hierarchy for keeping quiet as US troops "defile" the sanctity of holy cities like Najaf and Karbala. "I wonder what has happened to the Badr Brigade," Sadr told worshippers at the main weekly Muslim prayers in this Shiite shrine town, referring to the militia of the Iran-backed religious party, the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). "They were the most supportive of my late father and his fight against the dictator Saddam (Hussein).
| Could it be Pop wasn't quite the dumbass Sonny is? |
"They must watch out so that they are not sucked into America's plot to incite fighting among Shiites," Sadr warned. Unlike Sadr, SCIRI's leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim sits on Iraq's US-installed interim leadership and has declined to join his armed campaign against coalition troops in Shiite areas of central and southern Iraq. The loudmouth firebrand cleric also condemned the "traitors who willingly execute the orders of the occupation forces" and criticised the Shiite religious authority for its inaction during his conflict with the coalition. "The sanctity of our holy cities is being defiled and no one is coming to aid us or support us," Sadr told his followers.
| Probably because they consider you to be a dumbass... |
He made no direct comment on Friday's six-hour battle between his militia and US troops in nearby Najaf, in which at least 10 of his militiamen died, but vowed that his forces would be victorious over their enemies. "The spilling of your blood in this blessed land is the beginning of your victory, God willing," said Sadr.
| "The fact that it's the end of your miserable existence doesn't particularly bother me..." |
He said that the United States would "pay dearly for its plan to exterminate Muslims and Islam in Iraq and worldwide." The head of the Badr Brigade, Abu Hassan al-Ameri, was among a group of Shiite leaders who travelled to Najaf earlier this week in a bid to convince Sadr to step back from a showdown with US troops in Najaf. Sadr snubbed their efforts Wednesday, vowing to fight and die a martyr. Also in a move aimed at squeezing the religious hierarchy further, he said he would only disband his militia if the top clerics gave the order. The office of the senior Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has issued just one statement on the crisis, calling more than a month ago for a peaceful resolution to the standoff and for the sanctity of holy cities to be respected. His office has refused to comment on Friday's events in Najaf.
| "Eh? No skin off my fore..." |
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