Sounds of fighting outside Najaf mosque
Al-Sadr militia holed up inside
Thursday, August 19, 2004 Posted: 9:29 AM EDT (1329 GMT)
Smoke rises over Najaf on Thursday. The Associated Press reported a mortar barrage hit a police station.
NAJAF, Iraq (CNN) -- Sounds of intense fighting erupted Thursday outside the Imam Ali mosque where inside militia loyal to cleric Muqtada al-Sadr failed to comply with Iraqi orders to disarm and disperse.
CNN's Kianne Sadeq, who is inside the compound with other journalists at the invitation of al-Sadr's militia, reported persistent sounds of mortars and gunfire and many explosions and devastation to the streets, homes and businesses around the mosque compound.
Two of the mosque's minarets have been damaged in recent fighting, and al-Sadr loyalists said a clock in one of the towers caught fire, Sadeq reported. The mosque is one of the holiest shrines in Shiite Islam.
It was unclear whether the fighting signaled the start of an Iraq-U.S. offensive against the fighters.
Iraqi officials have threatened to "liberate" the mosque with a military offensive if al-Sadr and his forces don't leave and disarm.
The interim government said Thursday that al-Sadr must publicly and personally say he is disarming and will stand down, or Iraqi and U.S. forces will take military action against him.
An al-Sadr spokesman in Najaf said the cleric has rejected those demands.
This comes a day after al-Sadr issued a conciliatory statement read at the Iraqi National Conference indicating that he was willing to have his forces disarm and withdraw from the compound.
Al-Sadr spokesman had not agreed to negotiate with the Iraqi interim government, but only with the Iraqi National Conference.
Inside the compound, the Mehdi militia welcomed journalists with dancing and cheering.
"They are very proud to be here," Sadeq said, adding that "they are not leaving."
Along with the fighters, al-Sadr spokesmen and a few women and children are in the compound.
Al-Sadr people deny that al-Sadr is inside the mosque compound. However, he is thought to be in the Najaf area.
U.S. tanks have surrounded the Imam Ali mosque, the shrine.
Interim Iraqi Minister of State Kasim Daoud said that if the cleric does not respond to the government demands in the next few hours, military action will be taken.
At a joint news conference with Najaf Gov. Adnan al-Zufri, Daoud outlined the Iraqi government's conditions for al-Sadr to disarm. He said Iraqi forces have special intelligence that will allow them to get al-Sadr without destroying the shrine.
Daoud called on al-Sadr and his militia to hand over all of their weapons, and he noted that the radical cleric will not be allowed to have his own court system.
Al-Sadr is wanted in connection with the killing of a rival cleric, Iraqi officials have said.
Iraq needs only one military, one leader and one government, Daoud said.
Al-Sadr must also free any civilian hostages he is holding, the minister said.
On Wednesday, a letter from al-Sadr's office in Baghdad said the cleric would give in to demands that he and his forces leave the mosque in Najaf, disband his Mehdi Army and "enter into the mainstream political process."
At the time, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said it was surprised to hear of such a deal since al-Sadr himself refused to meet with a delegation on negotiations to end the two-week standoff in Najaf, where Mehdi Army fighters have exchanged gunfire with Iraqi and U.S. forces.
"If we are surprised by this announcement, it's because the Iraqi government has done all it could to resolve this situation," the ministry said. "Al-Sadr refused to meet with our delegation, and so the delegation returned to Baghdad without ever meeting" with him.
Al-Sadr has previously vowed to fight to his death.
Scattered clashes in Najaf were reported Thursday. The Associated Press reported a mortar barrage hit a Najaf police station.
Fighting also was reported in Baghdad's Sadr City area, an al-Sadr stronghold.
In another development, the Iraqi Interior Ministry disputed reports that the police chief in Najaf has said he will not send police into the mosque.
"The chief of police denies such reports and vows to follow all and any orders, including storming the holy grounds or that which may be ordered by the Iraqi government," the Interior Ministry said.
In sporadic fighting Wednesday, a Marine was killed in Najaf while conducting security operations in the city.
And while the situation in Najaf remained tense, armed militants Wednesday said they would kill a Western journalist who was kidnapped in Iraq if U.S. forces do not withdraw from Najaf within 48 hours. (Full story)
In a videotape aired on the Arabic language network Al-Jazeera, journalist Micah Garen, 36, was surrounded by five armed, masked militants. Garen was kidnapped last Friday in the southern city of Nasiriya while working on a documentary on antiquities in Iraq.
'Liberate the holy shrine'
Earlier Wednesday, Iraqi Defense Minister Hazem Sha'alan said the government had completed preparations for a military operation to "liberate the holy shrine" in Najaf and regain "Najaf city from the gang of mercenaries."
In an interview with Arabic-language TV network Al-Arabiya, Sha'alan said Iraqi troops would enter the holy sites in Najaf in a swift operation and he expected a "decisive battle." U.S. forces would not enter the compound.
"We will teach those people a lesson in their lives, which they will never forget," said Sha'alan, pointing to fighters in Najaf and in other key Iraqi cities.
Sha'alan later told reporters that al-Sadr's forces "have a chance during the coming hours to lay down their weapons and surrender."
After Sha'alan made his remarks, interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said the government "will not stand with arms folded in the face" of the rebellion by the Mehdi militia.
"The government's position is clear and specific to ending armed manifestations, stopping acts of sabotage and making the armed men leave Najaf and the mosque," Allawi said in a written statement.
Shortly after those threats of force, al-Sadr's Baghdad office quickly presented the letter saying the cleric would give in to demands from the Iraqi National Conference.
The letter was read to delegates attending the Iraqi National Conference. Many of the delegates cheered at the news, while some were quick to point out that unanswered questions remained -- including when al-Sadr would withdraw from the mosque.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi National Conference picked a 100-person interim council. The council will serve as an advisory body to the interim government, the caretaker body running Iraq until a transitional national assembly is elected in January.
The conference sent a delegation to Najaf on Tuesday, spending three hours at the Imam Ali mosque in a bid to resolve the standoff. But al-Sadr rejected the delegates' offer to meet, and they returned to Baghdad early Wednesday.
The delegation did talk with some of the cleric's top deputies Tuesday night and presented them with a letter asking al-Sadr's militia to leave the shrine, dissolve itself and join the political process in Iraq.
Other developments
Two Polish soldiers were killed and five injured when their vehicles crashed early Thursday as they were trying to escape an ambush in the central Iraqi city of Hillah, a military spokesman said. (Full story)
A U.S. soldier was killed Wednesday when a patrol was attacked in eastern Baghdad and a Marine died after a vehicle accident in western Iraq's Al Anbar province, the U.S. military said. The number of U.S. troops killed in the Iraq war stood at 951 as of Wednesday. Of those, 709 have died in hostile action and 242 from nonhostile activity, according to the U.S. military.
Two detainees were killed and five others were wounded Wednesday during a fight involving more than 200 prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison on the outskirts of Baghdad, according to the coalition press office. A news release said "lethal force" was used after verbal warnings and "nonlethal rounds" failed to break up the brawl.
An Army report will recommend that approximately two dozen military intelligence personnel face possible disciplinary action in the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal, military sources said. The report, expected to be released as early as next week, will find that the abuse was not ordered by senior commanders as part of approved interrogation practices, the sources said. (Full story)
In Mosul, at least six Iraqis were killed and 21 others were wounded Wednesday when a missile struck the main commercial center, police said.
CNN's Kianne Sadeq contributed to this report.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2004 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
Thursday, August 19, 2004 Posted: 9:29 AM EDT (1329 GMT)
Smoke rises over Najaf on Thursday. The Associated Press reported a mortar barrage hit a police station.
NAJAF, Iraq (CNN) -- Sounds of intense fighting erupted Thursday outside the Imam Ali mosque where inside militia loyal to cleric Muqtada al-Sadr failed to comply with Iraqi orders to disarm and disperse.
CNN's Kianne Sadeq, who is inside the compound with other journalists at the invitation of al-Sadr's militia, reported persistent sounds of mortars and gunfire and many explosions and devastation to the streets, homes and businesses around the mosque compound.
Two of the mosque's minarets have been damaged in recent fighting, and al-Sadr loyalists said a clock in one of the towers caught fire, Sadeq reported. The mosque is one of the holiest shrines in Shiite Islam.
It was unclear whether the fighting signaled the start of an Iraq-U.S. offensive against the fighters.
Iraqi officials have threatened to "liberate" the mosque with a military offensive if al-Sadr and his forces don't leave and disarm.
The interim government said Thursday that al-Sadr must publicly and personally say he is disarming and will stand down, or Iraqi and U.S. forces will take military action against him.
An al-Sadr spokesman in Najaf said the cleric has rejected those demands.
This comes a day after al-Sadr issued a conciliatory statement read at the Iraqi National Conference indicating that he was willing to have his forces disarm and withdraw from the compound.
Al-Sadr spokesman had not agreed to negotiate with the Iraqi interim government, but only with the Iraqi National Conference.
Inside the compound, the Mehdi militia welcomed journalists with dancing and cheering.
"They are very proud to be here," Sadeq said, adding that "they are not leaving."
Along with the fighters, al-Sadr spokesmen and a few women and children are in the compound.
Al-Sadr people deny that al-Sadr is inside the mosque compound. However, he is thought to be in the Najaf area.
U.S. tanks have surrounded the Imam Ali mosque, the shrine.
Interim Iraqi Minister of State Kasim Daoud said that if the cleric does not respond to the government demands in the next few hours, military action will be taken.
At a joint news conference with Najaf Gov. Adnan al-Zufri, Daoud outlined the Iraqi government's conditions for al-Sadr to disarm. He said Iraqi forces have special intelligence that will allow them to get al-Sadr without destroying the shrine.
Daoud called on al-Sadr and his militia to hand over all of their weapons, and he noted that the radical cleric will not be allowed to have his own court system.
Al-Sadr is wanted in connection with the killing of a rival cleric, Iraqi officials have said.
Iraq needs only one military, one leader and one government, Daoud said.
Al-Sadr must also free any civilian hostages he is holding, the minister said.
On Wednesday, a letter from al-Sadr's office in Baghdad said the cleric would give in to demands that he and his forces leave the mosque in Najaf, disband his Mehdi Army and "enter into the mainstream political process."
At the time, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said it was surprised to hear of such a deal since al-Sadr himself refused to meet with a delegation on negotiations to end the two-week standoff in Najaf, where Mehdi Army fighters have exchanged gunfire with Iraqi and U.S. forces.
"If we are surprised by this announcement, it's because the Iraqi government has done all it could to resolve this situation," the ministry said. "Al-Sadr refused to meet with our delegation, and so the delegation returned to Baghdad without ever meeting" with him.
Al-Sadr has previously vowed to fight to his death.
Scattered clashes in Najaf were reported Thursday. The Associated Press reported a mortar barrage hit a Najaf police station.
Fighting also was reported in Baghdad's Sadr City area, an al-Sadr stronghold.
In another development, the Iraqi Interior Ministry disputed reports that the police chief in Najaf has said he will not send police into the mosque.
"The chief of police denies such reports and vows to follow all and any orders, including storming the holy grounds or that which may be ordered by the Iraqi government," the Interior Ministry said.
In sporadic fighting Wednesday, a Marine was killed in Najaf while conducting security operations in the city.
And while the situation in Najaf remained tense, armed militants Wednesday said they would kill a Western journalist who was kidnapped in Iraq if U.S. forces do not withdraw from Najaf within 48 hours. (Full story)
In a videotape aired on the Arabic language network Al-Jazeera, journalist Micah Garen, 36, was surrounded by five armed, masked militants. Garen was kidnapped last Friday in the southern city of Nasiriya while working on a documentary on antiquities in Iraq.
'Liberate the holy shrine'
Earlier Wednesday, Iraqi Defense Minister Hazem Sha'alan said the government had completed preparations for a military operation to "liberate the holy shrine" in Najaf and regain "Najaf city from the gang of mercenaries."
In an interview with Arabic-language TV network Al-Arabiya, Sha'alan said Iraqi troops would enter the holy sites in Najaf in a swift operation and he expected a "decisive battle." U.S. forces would not enter the compound.
"We will teach those people a lesson in their lives, which they will never forget," said Sha'alan, pointing to fighters in Najaf and in other key Iraqi cities.
Sha'alan later told reporters that al-Sadr's forces "have a chance during the coming hours to lay down their weapons and surrender."
After Sha'alan made his remarks, interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said the government "will not stand with arms folded in the face" of the rebellion by the Mehdi militia.
"The government's position is clear and specific to ending armed manifestations, stopping acts of sabotage and making the armed men leave Najaf and the mosque," Allawi said in a written statement.
Shortly after those threats of force, al-Sadr's Baghdad office quickly presented the letter saying the cleric would give in to demands from the Iraqi National Conference.
The letter was read to delegates attending the Iraqi National Conference. Many of the delegates cheered at the news, while some were quick to point out that unanswered questions remained -- including when al-Sadr would withdraw from the mosque.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi National Conference picked a 100-person interim council. The council will serve as an advisory body to the interim government, the caretaker body running Iraq until a transitional national assembly is elected in January.
The conference sent a delegation to Najaf on Tuesday, spending three hours at the Imam Ali mosque in a bid to resolve the standoff. But al-Sadr rejected the delegates' offer to meet, and they returned to Baghdad early Wednesday.
The delegation did talk with some of the cleric's top deputies Tuesday night and presented them with a letter asking al-Sadr's militia to leave the shrine, dissolve itself and join the political process in Iraq.
Other developments
Two Polish soldiers were killed and five injured when their vehicles crashed early Thursday as they were trying to escape an ambush in the central Iraqi city of Hillah, a military spokesman said. (Full story)
A U.S. soldier was killed Wednesday when a patrol was attacked in eastern Baghdad and a Marine died after a vehicle accident in western Iraq's Al Anbar province, the U.S. military said. The number of U.S. troops killed in the Iraq war stood at 951 as of Wednesday. Of those, 709 have died in hostile action and 242 from nonhostile activity, according to the U.S. military.
Two detainees were killed and five others were wounded Wednesday during a fight involving more than 200 prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison on the outskirts of Baghdad, according to the coalition press office. A news release said "lethal force" was used after verbal warnings and "nonlethal rounds" failed to break up the brawl.
An Army report will recommend that approximately two dozen military intelligence personnel face possible disciplinary action in the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal, military sources said. The report, expected to be released as early as next week, will find that the abuse was not ordered by senior commanders as part of approved interrogation practices, the sources said. (Full story)
In Mosul, at least six Iraqis were killed and 21 others were wounded Wednesday when a missile struck the main commercial center, police said.
CNN's Kianne Sadeq contributed to this report.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2004 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
posted by R7 | 8/19/2004 09:56:00 AM
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