Fighting Rages On As Iraq Premiere Demands Retreat

Brushing aside calls for talks, Iyad Allawi, Iraq's interim prime minister, flew to Najaf yesterday and ordered militants spearheading a fresh Shia uprising in the south to leave the holy city.

"There is no negotiation with any militia that bears arms against Iraq and the Iraqi people," said Mr Allawi, flanked by heavy security, during a brief visit to the turbulent city where American troops claim to have killed more than 300 militants since Thursday.

"I believe that gunmen should leave the holy sites… quickly, lay down their weapons and return to the rule of order and law."

Moqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand Shia cleric in whose name the rebels are fighting, rejected the ultimatum.

Scores more died yesterday as Sadr's Mahdi army militia fought American forces in Shia strongholds across the south for a fourth day.

"The Mahdi army are the sons of Najaf. They will never leave the city," Sayed Hazim al-Araji, a senior Sadr aide, told the Telegraph.

Mr Allawi's uncompromising stance signals a toughening of the Baghdad line following the June ceasefire under which American troops withdrew from the centre of Najaf.

Although the truce restored a shaky calm after two months of rebellion by Shia fighters, it gave the impression that the new Iraqi government controlled little of its own country.

In the north, the centres of many cities are effectively in the hands of Sunni militants and their foreign backers, while US troops look on helplessly from nearby camps.

Clashes broke out in Najaf on Thursday after the Mahdi army attacked a police station.

Ordinarily such a provocation would have been ignored. Instead, the US command immediately announced that the truce was over and declared its intention to recapture areas of Najaf it ceded in June.

Significantly, the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit had just deployed around Najaf.

"I think there was enough evidence to show that the Moqtada militia was preparing a new uprising," said a senior source in the US-led coalition.

"So there was a degree of pre-emption here. A plan to go in hard - to totally take them out. Yes, this is 'take no prisoners' time.

"We are, quite possibly, in for a bloody few days. These guys are disorganised and they don't mind taking casualties. The death toll will inevitably be very high."

Mr Allawi's ultimatum was, perhaps, the last chance for a peaceful resolution to the crisis. Within hours, the coalition had called in air strikes, and missiles pounded the cemetery area of Najaf where many of Sadr's forces are operating.

Clashes again erupted in the vast Sadr City slum in Baghdad. Hospital sources said at least 30 people had been killed in the Shia district at the weekend.

A 10-year-old boy was killed and 16 people wounded in eastern Baghdad in one of several mortar attacks in the capital last night.

Iraq's six-week-old interim government further sought to stamp its authority on the multi-country by reinstating the death penalty for serious crimes such as murder and kidnapping.

The British Government had urged Iraq not to bring back capital punishment. It is not clear whether the law will apply retroactively. If it does not, Saddam Hussein could escape execution.

Bakhtiar Amin, the interim government's human rights minister, who has campaigned against the death penalty for decades, said the measure would remain in place only until stability had been restored - an indication that Saddam could face life imprisonment if found guilty of crimes against humanity.

"This is the most difficult day of my life," said Mr Amin. "I personally hate to see anyone put to death. There is nothing humane - no humane way of doing it."

A group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq kidnapped Fereidoun Jahani, a Iranian diplomat, in the Shia city of Karbala, accusing him of spreading sectarian strife. Iraq and Iran have been at loggerheads in recent weeks after Baghdad accused Teheran of backing rebels.

• The Iraqi interim government has issued an arrest warrant for Ahmad Chalabi, a former governing council member, on counterfeiting charges.

Another was issued for his nephew, Salem Chalabi, on murder charges. Salem Chalabi, the head of the tribunal trying Saddam, has been named as a suspect in the murder in June of a finance ministry chief. The Chalabis were reported to be out of the country yesterday.

"The Mahdi army are the sons of Najaf. They will never leave the city," Sayed Hazim al-Araji, a senior Sadr aide, told the Telegraph.

True, they won't leave because they'll be buried there, and soon. Let the fighting continue because the more of his followers we leave alive, the more trouble they will cause later.

2 posted on 08/08/2004 7:26:09 PM PDT by Reagan is King (The modern definition of 'racist' is someone who is winning an argument with a liberal.)

"The Mahdi army are the sons of Najaf. They will never leave the city," Sayed Hazim al-Araji, a senior Sadr aide, told the Telegraph.

That seems to be the plan Sayed.

Semper Fi 11 MEU.

3 posted on 08/08/2004 7:30:12 PM PDT by Lurker ( Rope, tree, liberal. Adult assembly required.)

"Let the fighting continue because the more of his followers we leave alive, the more trouble they will cause later."

I agree, kill all these lunatic SOB's!

not sure to what level the iraqi troops are involved in taking these guys down. the kill ratios, it seems like they are just walking into hails of bullets. is it all ground based conflict, I haven't read anything about use of air power or AC130s.

"I haven't read anything about use of air power or AC130s."

Air support is there on demand. I think I read that F-16's had dropped some bombs...

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