[Marxism] Sadr militia in Najaf: "The occupiers are the ones who should leave"

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Iraq PM tries to get Najaf militants to surrender
But cleric's militia continues to fight coalition troops
The Associated Press
Updated: 11:14 a.m. ET Aug. 8, 2004

Photo caption:
Ali Jasim / Reuters
A masked Iraqi Shiite militiaman dashes across a street, carrying a
rocket-propelled grenade launcher, near graffiti reading "No Bush" in
Arabic, near the Baghdad suburb of al Sadr city on Saturday.

NAJAF, Iraq - Protected by 100 guards, Iraq's interim Prime Minister
Ayad Allawi visited the war-shattered city of Najaf on Sunday, calling
on Shiite militants to lay down their weapons after days of fierce
clashes with U.S. forces.

But even as Allawi met with Najaf's governor, police and the Mahdi Army
militia loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr battled nearby. Gunfire
and explosions could be heard as U.S. helicopter gunships circled
overhead. Two Iraqi national guardsmen were killed, and 13 people
wounded.

"We think that those armed should leave the holy sites and the (Imam Ali
Shrine compound) as well as leave their weapons and abide by the law,"
Allawi said during a one-hour visit for talks with Najaf Gov. Adnan
al-Zurufi.

Clashes continued in other Shiite communities for the fourth straight
day. In Baghdad's Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, three U.S. soldiers
were wounded in fighting Sunday and a U.S. observation helicopter came
under fire and had to make an emergency landing, though the crew was
unharmed.


Allawi's government also announced the reinstatement of the death
penalty, part of a new approach for putting down the 15-month insurgency
in Iraq. Capital punishment would be allowed for those convicted of
murder, endangering national security and distributing drugs.

"The tough task in front of us in this country is maintaining security
and stability, combatting terror and organized crime," Human Rights
Minister Bakhtiar Amin said as he and the justice minister announced the
decision.

Capital punishment was suspended during the U.S. occupation. The
reinstatement came a day after the government announced an amnesty for
those playing minor roles in the insurgency -- though not for anyone who
has killed.

Also Sunday, militants said they took a top Iranian diplomat hostage,
according to video shown on the Arab-language Al-Arabiya television
station. The tape showed a bearded man identified as Faridoun Jihani
speaking to the camera, though his voice was not audible. The video also
showed his identification, passport and a business card identifying him
as the "consul for the Islamic Republic of Iran in Karbala," a southern
Iraqi city.

The kidnappers, calling themselves the "Islamic Army in Iraq," accused
Jihani of provoking sectarian war in Iraq and warned Iran not to
interfere in Iraq's affairs, according to Al-Arabiya.

The kidnappers made no demands, the report said.

Militants -- mainly thought to be Sunni Muslim insurgents -- have taken
scores of foreigners hostage in recent months, trying to drive coalition
troops out of Iraq and hamper reconstruction efforts.

With Allawi's government still fighting Sunni guerrillas elsewhere in
the country, the fierce battles in Najaf have raised fears of the
revival of an insurrection among Iraq's Shiite majority. Al-Sadr's Mahdi
Army revolted in April and fought for two months until a series of
truces calmed the violence.

After heavy fights in Najaf on Thursdasy and Friday, Shiite leaders have
been trying to restore the truce, and clashes have eased Saturday and
Sunday -- but not stopped.

On Saturday, national guard troops chased al-Sadr militiamen who had
attacked a police patrol to the cleric's house. The guardsmen raided the
house and detained the attackers who had taken refuge there, said Lt.
Aqil Khalil, a guardsman. Al-Sadr was not present at the time.

The Najaf fighting Sunday also slightly wounded Mou'ayad Mohsen, an
editor working for Al-Arabiya, according to station official.

Allawi arrived in Najaf backed by a tough security contingent, made up
of U.S. forces, foreign security contractors, Iraqi National Guard
troops and Iraqi police. Allawi and his delegation -- including his
interior and defense ministers and national security adviser -- did not
meet with al-Sadr or any of his aides.

No immediate plans to arrest al-Sadr

Allawi said there were no plans to arrest al-Sadr, but he said there
would be no negotiations until al-Sadr's militia laid down its arms. He
was optimistic the violence would cease.

"There are some elements who have broken the law and hurt this city,"
Allawi said. "The situation will be defused soon."

A government deadline for militants to withdraw from Najaf expired
Saturday, but Mahdi Army fighters maintained a heavy presence in the old
city, where masked men carrying automatic rifles and rocket-propelled
grenade launchers searched cars at checkpoints. The Mahdi Army controls
the Imam Ali Shrine compound in the old city, one of Shia Islam's
holiest sites.

"We are trying to defend our country. We are not going to leave Najaf or
any other city," said Abu Thar al-Kinani, an al-Sadr aide in Baghdad.
"The occupiers are the ones who should leave Najaf and the rest of
Iraq."





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