(Wanted) Shiite Cleric Sadr Ends Sit In, Moves to Holy City of Najaf

Xinuanet News Wire ^ | April 6, 2004 21:25:50 | wire report

[threat matrix]

Radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr, wanted by coalition forces in Iraq, ended his sit in at a mosque in Kufa Tuesday and traveled to the holy city of Najaf to prevent more bloodshed.

'I have taken it upon myself to prevent more bloodshed except mine,' he said in a statement, expressing his concern that US troops may violate the sacred Al Kufa mosque.

Sadr said he took his decision to 'observe a peaceful sit in' at the mosque of Al Kufa to protest against 'the aggressions committed by the infidel occupier against civilans.'

An arrest warrant had been issued last year for Sadr for the murder of a rival cleric, Abdel Majid al-Khoei, just days before the fall of Saddam's regieme.

Thousands of his supporters gathered in the mosque and vowed to defend him to the death after US civil administrator in Iraq Paul Bremer declared Sadr an outlaw on Monday.

[threat matrix]

Running for the hills..

[boxerblues]

How the hell did he get past the Marines?

[NativeNewYorker]

the holy city of Najaf

Are there any open septic tanks over there that AREN'T "holy cities"?

[AmericanInTokyo]

It will soon become the HOLE -y city of Najaf.

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[threat matrix]

Did he take a convoy of SUV's like the guy in Pakistan?

[areafiftyone]

How did he get out?

[the Real fifi]

I do not know how accurate or timely this report is. I heard on tv last night that he was now in the mosque in Najaf, one of the two holiest sites for the Shiias.

[mattdono]

Exactly.

How does he just "move"? One has to believe that they tracked him the whole way, right?

[steveo]

'peaceful sit in'

peaceful sit in...peaceful sit in... where have I heard that phrase before??

[boxerblues]

Well they were letting those who had Fallahaj license plates in & out of the city but damn. Thats quite a drive to not be spotted

[RoseofTexas]

Good Gosh! I can't believe this EVIL man got away from our military! Letting him slip away to ANOTHER so called holy site is unbelievable and reckless! We waited to long to arrest the SOB! These terrorists are being handled with kids gloves instead of BOXING knock out gloves...ENUFF!!

[Cap Huff]

Sadr was not in Fallujah.

[Miss Marple]

Sadr wasn't in Fallujah. He was in a mosque in Kufa, which is fairly close to Najaf.

[boxerblues]

My mistake but still how did he get past our guys?

[sam_paine]

On the one hand, I don't trust this report that he really did move. On the other hand, I don't think the US Forces, as advanced as they are, are really 100.0% vigilant.

All the brilliant Predator FLIR gadgets aside, it's hard to tell the difference between a fat virgin in a burka and and fat cleric wannabe in a black rag.

I just think we all give ourselves too much credit.

[Cap Huff]

We all need to read, think, and reason before we push the emote button.

I beat you by a few seconds, but you had more information in your post.

[TomGuy]

I thought he was in Fallujah.

I thought the Marines had Fallujah surrounded.

How did the Sadr get out?

[opbuzz]

I believe that the Kufa mosque is in Sadr city, which is a slum in the northern part of Baghdad.

[Miss Marple]

There are two operations going on:

1. The operation in Fallujah

2. The tracking and hopefully eventual arrest of Sadr.

Sadr was never in Fallujah, which is a Sunni stronghold. Sadr is a radical Shiite.