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August 26, 2004
Al Sistani leaves Basra for Najaf
Twelve hours from now, or less, we may well know the future of Iraq. Chaos or hope? I don't pray, but if you do, now might be a good time. It is still possible Al Sadr will back down and take on a more peaceful, subordinate role. In that case, my concerns will seem silly in hindsight. Let's hope they are silly.
Sistani Leads Peace Mission to Embattled City
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani left the southern city of Basra in a huge convoy of some 50 police cars and 10 British military vehicles, witnesses said. Hundreds of cars driven by his supporters joined the trip, which will take several hours.Sistani will unveil a plan in Najaf to get the Mehdi Army militia of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr out of the Imam Ali mosque and call on U.S. marines encircling Iraq's holiest Shi'ite shrine to leave the city, his aides said.
The reclusive 73-year-old Sistani has also called for his supporters to march on Najaf to help end fighting between the rebels and U.S. forces that has crept closer to the shrine.
But amid fears of violence with rival Sadr supporters, he urged his followers converging on Najaf to wait outside the city and get instructions when he arrived, a senior aide said....
But Sadr, who has challenged the collegiate leadership of the Najaf clergy headed by Sistani and styled himself as the face of anti-U.S. Shi'ite resistance, has also called on his supporters to march on Najaf.
Such an influx of large numbers of Shi'ites from rival groups could inflame tensions and worsen the violence....
Sadr's spokesmen were quick to make conciliatory statements when Sistani returned on Wednesday. The whereabouts of the upstart cleric himself, however, remain a mystery.
Sistani also played in role in ending a similar uprising from the Mehdi militia in April and May.
Posted by Mike at August 26, 2004 02:23 AM
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