NewsMine — war-on-terror — iraq — insurgency — 2005 — 05-apr-may — Viewing Item

Cleric accuses occupier of creating sectarian war Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://www.boston.com/dailynews/136/world/Anti_U_S_cleric_delivers_first:.shtml http://www.boston.com/dailynews/136/world/Anti_U_S_cleric_delivers_first:.shtml Anti-U.S. cleric delivers first speech since Najaf clashes, demanding Americans leave Iraq By Abdul Hussein Al-Obeidi, Associated Press, 5/16/2005 11:11 NAJAF, Iraq (AP) Anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr came out of hiding Monday for the first time since his fighters clashed with American forces in August, delivering a fiery speech demanding that coalition forces leave Iraq and that Saddam Hussein be punished. Al-Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric whose militia battled U.S. forces in Baghdad and Najaf last year, held a press conference in his father's home in this holy Shiite Muslim city, 100 miles south of Baghdad. Al-Sadr criticized the American-led occupation and called for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. He also demanded punishment for Saddam, who brutally suppressed Shiites during his three-decade rule and now is being held in a U.S. military detention facility in Baghdad awaiting trial on war crimes charges. ''I demand several things, including punishing Saddam and calling on the Iraqi government, religious movements and political factions to work hard to kick out the occupier,'' al-Sadr said. ''I want the immediate withdrawal of the occupation forces.'' Al-Sadr's reappearance coincides with mediation efforts involving Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi to get murder charges against the cleric dropped. An Iraqi judge has issued an arrest warrant charging al-Sadr and his key lieutenant, Riyadh al-Nouri, in the 2003 assassination of moderate cleric Abdul Majid al-Khoei. Al-Sadr also accused the United States of trying to foment a sectarian conflict, and he demanded the coalition release all detainees. ''The occupier is trying to make up a sectarian war between the Sunnis and Shiites,'' al-Sadr said. ''It is not acceptable to direct the allegations of ugly acts committed by the occupier against the Shiites, to the Sunnis, we also condemn and denounce all the terrorist acts.'' He did not elaborate but apparently was referring to a spate of violence since the April 28 announcement of Iraq's new, Shiite-dominated government. More than 450 people have been killed in insurgent-related activity that has raised fears of an outbreak of a wider sectarian conflict. The burly, bearded cleric, usually clad in a robe and turban, wields wide support among young Shiites, particularly in Baghdad's impoverished Sadr City, the scene of fierce fighting last year between his militia, the Imam al-Mahdi Army and American forces.

madaen-seige 300 iraqis killed in past 10 days { May 9 2005 } American offensive kills 75 in western iraq { May 9 2005 } American rocket hits car with kids { April 25 2005 } American troops helicopter gunships assault desert villages { May 10 2005 } Attack in kurdish area kills 45 police applicants { May 4 2005 } Bomb kills 20 at iraq funeral { May 1 2005 } Car bomb exploses outside movie theater { May 11 2005 } Car bomb kills 8 at baghdad mosque { April 23 2005 } Car bombings hits near baghdad girls school { May 24 2005 } Cleric accuses occupier of creating sectarian war Commercial chopper shot down by missile fire Demonstrators demand US leave iraq { April 9 2005 } General myers says insurgency same as year ago Helicopter crashes killing nine Helicopter shot down killing nine Insurgency more mature and capable { April 19 2005 } Insurgent leader zarqawi ill or wounded in hospital { May 5 2005 } Insurgent violence escalates in iraq { April 24 2005 } Insurgents bomb busy market in baghdad { May 12 2005 } Insurgents claim executing helicopter survivor Insurgents using bomb techniques from US army manual { May 3 2005 } Iraq joint raids nets dozens of suspects Iraq violence taking sectarian twist { May 16 2005 } Iraqi blast may 2 2005 [jpg] Iraqi legislator gunned down politically motivated Iraqi legislator handcuffed and humiliated at US checkpoint { April 20 2005 } Iraqi tribesmen requested US support to repel foreigners { May 16 2005 } Iraqi troops lockdown baghdad { May 26 2005 } Islamic clerics killed by terrorists in army uniforms { May 17 2005 } Large scale insurgents attack on US base { April 12 2005 } Many iraqis killed in US helicopter attack { April 12 2005 } Series of attacks around baghdad kills 38 Shiites mass protest US presence in iraq { May 20 2005 } Shiites politicians condemn attempt to spark sectarian war { May 21 2005 } Soldier killed as shiite protesters stream toward capital { April 9 2005 } Suicide bomber swervesinto crowded market killing 24 Terrorists are trying to play on sectarian sentiments { May 17 2005 } Thousands of shiites loyal to alsadr protest { April 10 2005 } Tit for tat killings inflame sectarian tensions in iraq Two car bomb blasts kill 11 in baghdad US figures show sharp global rise in terrorism { April 27 2005 } Files Listed: 41

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