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| Iraq |
| 'Iraq govt agrees truce with al-Sadr bloc' |
| 2008-05-11 |
| The Iraqi government has agreed a truce with the movement of Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to end weeks of fighting in eastern Baghdad between Shia militia and security forces, a Sadr spokesman said on Saturday. If confirmed, the ceasefire could end violence that has killed several hundred people and trapped the 2 million residents of the Sadr City slum in a battle zone. Government officials were not immediately available to comment. Sadr spokesman Salah al-Ubaidi told Reuters that an agreement had been reached between the Sadr movement’s bloc in parliament and the ruling Shia alliance, called the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA). He said he expected the agreement to take effect either on Saturday night or Sunday. “A deal has been made between the al-Sadr bloc and the United Iraqi Alliance to have a ceasefire. The main aim of the deal is to solve the crisis in Sadr City,” Ubaidi said. “The government has accepted this deal,” he added. |
| Posted by:Fred |