The militiamen of wanted cleric Moqtada Sadr have dug in with force in the inner sanctum of the holy city of Najaf, much to the alarm of residents and rival Shiite groups, and say they want to drive US soldiers out of Iraq. Hundreds of edgy young men from Sadrâs Mehdi Army, carrying sniper and assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, were seen yesterday positioned in the area around the mausoleum of Imam Ali, the cityâs holiest shrine. Many more were seen on building rooftops and in alleys off the four main streets leading to the mausoleum. Several pickup trucks were ferrying fighters to and from what looked like a makeshift command center just behind the mausoleum.
| Sounds like they're doing their best to make it the target... |
Nearby militiamen loaded atop a minivan the wooden coffin of one of their comrades killed in fighting with US troops last Monday. âThey are taking him back to Baghdad to his parents,â said a militiamen wistfully.
| Ow! My heartstrings! You're tugging too hard! |
Most of Sadrâs fighters are from poor Shiite families from outside Najaf province, mainly from his stronghold of Sadr City in Baghdad, a slum in the northern part of the capital. Sadr, who is wanted in connection with the murder of a rival cleric last year, appeared to be bolstering his force inside Najaf over the past few days with more young recruits, or âvolunteersâ as he calls them, from Baghdad and southern cities like Amara, Basra and Nassiriyah. The stepped-up presence of Sadr followers has visibly worried other armed Shiite groups in the city like the Badr Organization, which is part of the mainstream Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. Even guards entrusted with protecting Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, Shiitesâ most eminent cleric, said they feared âknee-jerk reactionsâ by Mehdi militiamen against Sistaniâs office and base on Rasul Street off the mausoleum.
| Gee. You don't suppose he'll be accidentally bumped off in a "cross fire," do you? |
Sistani has called for a peaceful resolution of the standoff with Sadr and has called for the respect of the sanctity of Najaf, and has steered away from any statement that might be perceived as a call for jihad against the Americans or an endorsement of Sadr. |