Hudna's over, I guess...
A day-old ceasefire between US forces and militia of firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr was shaken when clashes broke out, killing four, as Sadr lambasted US President George W. Bush and rival Shiite leaders.
| "Yarrr! They're ugly! An' they smell funny! An'... An'... They're infidels! All of 'em!" |
Sadr aides and US forces each accused the other side Friday of launching attacks in Kufa as thousands of men flooded the streets in a powerful show of support for the cleric, who has waged a nearly two-month-long insurgency against the United States. Thirteen Iraqis were also hurt, according to hospital sources. "US troops attacked us at about seven this morning from both the entrance of Kufa, the bridge, and from the direction of their base," said Sheikh Taher al-Asadi.
| "An' we wudn't doin' nuffin'! We wuz just walkin' down the street..." |
"We didn't fire any mortars on them and we have been committed to the ceasefire. They are trying to arrest or kill Sadr and to prevent people from expressing their support for their leader." But two US soldiers were wounded and their Humvee destroyed when a patrol came under attack from small arms near Kufa, according to a military spokeswoman. An Iraqi journalist working for Iranian news agency IRNA said militiamen opened fire with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades when three US tanks advanced towards the centre of Kufa. Sabah al-Tamimi said the tanks fired back, but stopped some 500 metres from the Kufa Grand Mosque, where Sadr failed to show for his regular sermon Friday and his words were read out by an aide.
| Bravely stayed away, did he? |
Sadr criticised senior Shiite leaders who have remained largely silent over fighting between US forces and his militia in neighbouring Najaf. "The enemy is entering the city, (Najaf) and is shelling it and you are quiet," aide Jaber Al-Khafaji, who escaped US efforts to arrest him earlier this week, read out over the mosque loudspeaker. "The dome of Imam Ali's mausoleum is hit and you are quiet. Your people are under the boot of the occupier and you are quiet. When are you going to speak up?" Addressing US President George W. Bush, a usual butt of Sadr's criticism, Khafaji read: "People are being killed and you are riding your bicycle like a child," a reference to Bush's recent mountain bike accident. "Have you no shame? You have dug your tomb with your own hand. People of Iraq, rise up and fight for independence of your country. Don't believe the lies of the infidels and their agents who tell you that resistance is terror!" |