British soldiers clashed with Shi'ite fighters loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in southeastern Iraq today after coalition troops detained one of the militia's leaders. No one was hurt, a British military spokesman said. Three British military vehicles were fired upon early today with small arms fire and a rocket propelled grenade in two separate attacks in the city of Amarah, 290km southeast of Baghdad, the spokesman said. None of the vehicles was damaged. The attacks happened after British forces detained militia leader, Ahmed Hachi. A British military spokesman said three people were arrested just after midnight on Wednesday. He did not identify those arrested. According to the witnesses, the fighting lasted about an hour and a shop was burned. The trouble began just one day after al-Sadr took steps to honour an agreement meant to end fighting with American forces in the holy cities of Nafaj and Kufa, ordering fighters who did not live in those twin cities to return home. Many of the fighters who rushed to Najaf from Baghdad, Nasiriyah and other cities had already left after a truce brokered by Shi'ite politicians and clerics to end nearly eight weeks of fighting around some of Shia Islam's holiest shrines. The announcement was significant because it indicated al-Sadr is taking steps toward defusing tensions in Shi'ite areas and cooperating with the interim government and Shi'ite clerical hierarchy. | Or to try and save face, and his neck. |
Al-Sadr launched his uprising in April after US occupation authorities closed his newspaper, arrested a key aide and announced a warrant for his arrest in the April 2003 murder of a moderate cleric. The US had vowed to "capture or kill" al-Sadr, but US President George W Bush said on Tuesday he would leave it to the new interim Iraqi government to deal with the radical cleric. Al-Sadr's forces are still skirmishing regularly with US troops in Baghdad's Sadr City district, but they were routed by the 1st Armored Division in Karbala and their ranks were significantly reduced in Najaf and Kufa. |