Iraqi Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr's group has called on Arab governments to intervene and work out a ceasefire in Najaf immediately.
| Is this sequence on tape or something? |
Abd al-Hadi al-Darraji, official spokesman of al-Sadr in Baghdad, told Aljazeera in an interview on Thursday that the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf was surrounded by US occupation troops. Najaf is cut off completely and under heavy bombardment, al-Darraji said. "A shell was fired at the main entrance of the Imam Ali shrine indicating they have surrounded it," he said. "I call on the Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS) to save the day issue a fatwa preventing the the US occupation from entering the shrine," he said. Muslims must also condemn this "criminal acts", the spokesman said. "The entire Arab and Islamic world should refuse this tyranny. They should try to work out a ceasefire immediately," al-Darraji added.
Al-Darraji warned that if US occupation forces entered the Imam Ali shrine or tried to capture Muqtada al-Sadr, there will be bloodshed all over the country. "We will not stay silent. We will liberate Iraq fighting under al-Sadr," he said. "I warn the US occupation forces if they approach Imam Ali shrine, Baghdad and all governorates will carry out operations to eliminate these forces."
| Been there, done that. That's how you got the occupation forces, remember? Dumbass. |
"Chaos and unrest will spread all over Iraq. Attacking the shrine is similar to attacking the Shia themselves, and they will take revenge," he added. Al-Darraji said the government and the US forces were responsible for the safety of civilian families in Najaf.
| "It's not like we can be expected to take control of anything ourselves..." |
Commenting on the resignation of Najaf's deputy governor, al-Darraji described it as a positive action to condemn the US occupation operations targeting not only al-Sadr movement but also the holy shrine. "Any official, who has honour and pride, should resign and quit rather than abide by the demands of the occupation forces," he added. Al-Darraji said the absence of religious authorities enabled the US occupation forces to repress the al-Sadr movement and attack the Muslim holy shrines. "Their absence has played a major role in the US raid of Najaf and the attack against Imam Ali shrine," he said. "I call on all religious scholars to issue clear statements and fatwas condemning the US raid of the city, in order to prevent bloodsheds in Najaf and other Iraqi cities," he added.
| "And to save our... ummm... bacon." |
Al-Darraji said he believed that the current events form a historical turning point for the al-Sadr movement. "It is a revolution against corruption. It is an honour for al-Sadr movement," al-Darraji said. The interim government wants to totally destroy al-Sadr movement, proving it only seeks to achieve its own targets and serve its own interests, he said. "We will continue fighting until the last drop of our blood, until the occupation forces pull out of the country dragging their tails behind them," al-Darraji said. "Our blood will pave the way for those who will liberate Iraq and protect the holy shrines and for those who have refused to disgrace themselves through collaborating with the occupation forces," he added. Commenting on talks to halt fighting, al-Darraji said that all these talks lacked seriousness. "They (negotiators) are all doing nothing but watching us," he said.
| "... while we're getting bumped off right and left!" |
"If they really want to do something other than talking, they should head towards Najaf and stop the gunfire. Otherwise, there will be a disaster in Najaf and the whole of Iraq," he added.
| "I mean, we're really getting waxed here! A little help would be appreciated, y'know!" |
Meanwhile, AFP news agency said Iraq's National Security Advisor Muwafaq al-Rubaie was in Najaf to inspect the rubble meet al-Sadr amid a local initiative to stop the US-led assault on the city. Earlier Shaikh Fayed al-Shamari, head of Najaf's provincial council, said he was working on an initiative to end the fighting. Najaf's governor Adnan al-Zorfi confirmed the initiative and said the council was awaiting the response of al-Sadr's office but stressed his fighters must leave the city without preconditions. |
