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25 bodies found in the basement of Sadr's religious court
At least 25 bodies of executed civilians and police have been found in the basement of a religious court set up by rebel cleric Moqtadr al Sadr, according to AFP news agency. Some of the bodies had been mutilated or burned, according to the reports. The discovery comes after al Sadr officially handed over control of Najaf's Imam Ali shrine. A representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani confirmed the handover as militia loyal to al Sadr handed in their weapons after a peace deal to end the crisis in Najaf. Thousands of Iraqi Shi'ites have been marching to the shrine to show their support for Ayatollah al Sistani. The ayatollah had returned to the southern holy city to negotiate the peace deal after medical treatment in London. Al Sadr agreed to Ayatollah al Sistani's call for his supporters to lay down their arms.Posted by: Dan Darling 2004-08-27 |
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