usmc4669
04-05-04, 03:17 PM
Apr 5, 2:34 PM (ET)
By HAMZA HENDAWI
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - An Iraqi judge has issued a murder arrest warrant for a radical Sh*t Muslim cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, for the slaying of another Sh*t leader shortly after the U.S.-led invasion of the country, coalition officials said Monday.
Meanwhile, U.S. troops on Monday sealed off the city of Fallujah west of Baghdad, where some 1,200 Marines and two battalions of Iraqi security forces were poised to launch an operation aimed at pacifying the city, one of the most violent places in the Sunni Triangle.
Explosions and gunfire could be heard coming from the center of the city. Streets on the outskirts were largely deserted.
The announcement of the warrant came a day after violent clashes between militiamen loyal to al-Sadr that killed 52 Iraqis, eight U.S. soldiers and a Salvadoran soldier - some of the worst gunbattles since the ouster of Saddam Hussein.
President Bush said he was committed to the June 30 deadline for transferring power in Iraq and won't be deterred by violence and an armed Sh*ts revolt against the U.S.-led occupation. "The deadline remains firm," Bush said.
Bush also criticized al-Sadr as "one person that is deciding that rather than allowing democracy to flourish, he's going to exercise force. We just can't let it stand."
Coalition spokesman Dan Senor, who announced the warrant, would not say when al-Sadr would be detained. "There'll be no advance warning," he said.
Since the violence, al-Sadr has been holed up in a mosque in the city of Kufa, south of Baghdad, surrounded by armed supporters.
Now they don't recognize our religion why should we recognize theirs, go in and get him even if we have to level the mosque, they would level one of our Churches if they got the chance to.
The arrest warrant had been issued several months ago, Senor said, refusing to say why al-Sadr had not been arrested earlier or why its existence was only announced Monday, one day after the al-Sadr-inspired violence.
Al-Sadr is accused in the slaying of Abdel-Majid al-Khoei, a rival Shiite cleric who was stabbed to death by a mob at a Sh*t shrine in the city of Najaf in April 2003.
A total of 25 arrest warrants have been issued in the case, and 13 suspects have been taken into custody. Sunday's violence in Baghdad and other cities was sparked by the arrest last week of Mustafa al-Yacoubi, a senior aide to al-Sadr, on one of the warrants.
L. Paul Bremer, the top U.S. administrator in Iraq, declared al-Sadr an "outlaw" the big Sh*t who threatens Iraq's security.
Loyalists of Sh*t cleric Moqtada Sadr take position in the western Baghdad, district of Shula, Iraq, Monday April 5 2004, following fighting against US forces. The top U.S. administrator in Iraq declared the radical Sh*ts cleric an "outlaw" Monday after his supporters rioted in Baghdad and four other cities in fighting that killed at least 52 Iraqis, eight U.S. troops and a Salvadoran soldier.[/color] (AP Photo/Samir Mizban)
By HAMZA HENDAWI
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - An Iraqi judge has issued a murder arrest warrant for a radical Sh*t Muslim cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, for the slaying of another Sh*t leader shortly after the U.S.-led invasion of the country, coalition officials said Monday.
Meanwhile, U.S. troops on Monday sealed off the city of Fallujah west of Baghdad, where some 1,200 Marines and two battalions of Iraqi security forces were poised to launch an operation aimed at pacifying the city, one of the most violent places in the Sunni Triangle.
Explosions and gunfire could be heard coming from the center of the city. Streets on the outskirts were largely deserted.
The announcement of the warrant came a day after violent clashes between militiamen loyal to al-Sadr that killed 52 Iraqis, eight U.S. soldiers and a Salvadoran soldier - some of the worst gunbattles since the ouster of Saddam Hussein.
President Bush said he was committed to the June 30 deadline for transferring power in Iraq and won't be deterred by violence and an armed Sh*ts revolt against the U.S.-led occupation. "The deadline remains firm," Bush said.
Bush also criticized al-Sadr as "one person that is deciding that rather than allowing democracy to flourish, he's going to exercise force. We just can't let it stand."
Coalition spokesman Dan Senor, who announced the warrant, would not say when al-Sadr would be detained. "There'll be no advance warning," he said.
Since the violence, al-Sadr has been holed up in a mosque in the city of Kufa, south of Baghdad, surrounded by armed supporters.
Now they don't recognize our religion why should we recognize theirs, go in and get him even if we have to level the mosque, they would level one of our Churches if they got the chance to.
The arrest warrant had been issued several months ago, Senor said, refusing to say why al-Sadr had not been arrested earlier or why its existence was only announced Monday, one day after the al-Sadr-inspired violence.
Al-Sadr is accused in the slaying of Abdel-Majid al-Khoei, a rival Shiite cleric who was stabbed to death by a mob at a Sh*t shrine in the city of Najaf in April 2003.
A total of 25 arrest warrants have been issued in the case, and 13 suspects have been taken into custody. Sunday's violence in Baghdad and other cities was sparked by the arrest last week of Mustafa al-Yacoubi, a senior aide to al-Sadr, on one of the warrants.
L. Paul Bremer, the top U.S. administrator in Iraq, declared al-Sadr an "outlaw" the big Sh*t who threatens Iraq's security.
Loyalists of Sh*t cleric Moqtada Sadr take position in the western Baghdad, district of Shula, Iraq, Monday April 5 2004, following fighting against US forces. The top U.S. administrator in Iraq declared the radical Sh*ts cleric an "outlaw" Monday after his supporters rioted in Baghdad and four other cities in fighting that killed at least 52 Iraqis, eight U.S. troops and a Salvadoran soldier.[/color] (AP Photo/Samir Mizban)