Fighters loyal to the radical Shia cleric, Moqtada Sadr, have agreed to withdraw from the centre of Karbala. The holy Iraqi city has seen heavy fighting between the militia and coalition forces over the past month. US troops began pulling out on Friday and there has been intense pressure for Mr Sadr’s fighters to follow suit. In Karbala the streets are reported to be quiet, with little sign of the fighters. A senior member of Mr Sadr’s Mehdi Army, Ali al-Kazali, told the AFP news agency that the fighters had laid down their arms, following weeks of efforts by Iraqi tribal and religious leaders to negotiate a truce with the militia. The US-led coalition has refused to negotiate directly with Mr Sadr, who is wanted in connection with the murder of a rival Shia cleric last year.
Brig Gen Mark Kimmit denied any reports of a truce. He repeated that the confrontation could only be resolved peacefully if Mr Sadr handed himself in and disbanded his army. On Friday more than 2,000 Iraqis demonstrated demanding that Mr Sadr’s men leave the city. And on Tuesday Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s most senior Shia cleric, said all armed forces should be withdrawn from the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. Karbala, which is 110 kilometres (70 miles) south of Baghdad, is home to the shrine of Imam Hussein - one of the holiest places for the world’s Shia Muslims. The area next to the shrine is in ruins after weeks of clashes with the US-led forces. |