266370924

Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka ęape-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti

Radical cleric calls for uprising in Iraq

2-month truce seems to be crumbling

By Alex Berenson

BAGHDAD: The radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr called Thursday for a national uprising against American and coalition forces as a two-month truce between Sadr and the United States military appeared to collapse.

As night fell, heavy fighting appeared to be confmed mainly around Najaf a Shiite holy city 160 kilometers, or 100 miles, south of Baghdad that is a stronghold for Sadr.

In Baghdad, the Capital, and Basra, the largest city in Southern Iraq, insur^:gents loyal to Sadr prepared for clashes with American and British troops. But fighting was sporadic and Baghdad was . mostly quiet until 11:15 p.m., when three i large explosions, probably from mor-tars, rocked the city’s center.

One American soldier and several insurgents were killed in Najaf, accord-ing to an American military statement. At least a dozen morę soldiers and dozens of insurgents were wounded in both Baghdad and Najaf, though exact casualty counts were unavailable late Thursday evening.

Sadr’s cali is the most serious challenge yet to the interim Iraqi govem-ment, whose head, Ayad Allawi, has struggled to assert his authority sińce being named prime minister in June. Unlike moderate Shiite political lead-ers such as Allawi, Sadr fiercely op-poses the continuing American pres-ence here and has tried twice sińce October to revolt against it.

Allawi is eager to show his indepen-dence from the United States and to prove that Iraqi security forces can stop the escalating violence here. But Thursday^ clashes showed again that only American troops have the fire-power to contain Sadr’s guerrilla fight-

ers, called the Mahdi Anny, a well-armed militia that has fighters across the Southern half of Iraq.

During the aftemoon, American jets swooped over Baghdad and appeared to drop several bombs on Sadr City, a giant Shiite slum in northeast Baghdad. A military spokesman would not comment on whether bombs had been dropped.

An American Marinę helicopter was shot down in Najaf on Thursday mom-ing, although the crew was rescued, ac-cording to a military statement.

A spokesman for Allawi declined to comment on the fighting, which began at the central police station in Najaf early Thursday moming and spread after Sadr called on his followers to re-volt “Figlu the blasphemous, fight the Americans,” Sadr said in a statement is-sued from Najaf.

Each side blamed the other for the apparent breakdown of the truce, which comes less than two weeks before a national political conference that Sadr has said he will not attend. So far, it is un-certain whether Sadr’s newest cali for rebellion will provoke months of clashes nationwide, as it did in April, or quickly fizzle out, as it did last October.

There are no reliable estimates of the exact size of the Mahdi Anny, but Sadr can unquestionably bring thousands of

arrned men into the streets.

In Sadr City, masked Mahdi Army guerrillas controlled intersections and checked cars. Iraqi police offlcers and American soldiers remained outside the area for most of the day. Iraqi police reported several firefights in Sadr City during the late aftemoon, and a U.S. military spokesman told The Associated Press that seven soldiers had been wounded in two firefights in the area.

The truce between Sadr and the military has been unraveling for days. It first frayed on Sunday, when the police arrested a representative of Sadr in Kar-bala, near Najaf. On Monday, marines and Mahdi insurgents battled near a materaity hospital in Najaf, and several rebels died.

On Tuesday, American troops ap-proached Sadr’s house in Najaf, accord-ing to Salama al-Khafaji, a spokeswom-an for a govemment-appointed council that mediates between Sadr and American authorities. Fighting intensified Wednesday night, when troops again approached Sadr’s house, Khafaji said.

“The Americans escalated the whole situation by coming back with their ar-mored vehicles and trespassing,” Khafaji said.

But the American military blamed Sadr for the breakdown in the truce.

Marines were sent to Najafs main police station at 3 a.m., after Sadr’s forces attacked the station with machinę guns and rocket-propelled gren-ades, according to a U.S. military statement. The Iraqi police and national guard troops defended the station, and the marines did not fire shots or take any casualties, according to the statement.

“The attack is an overt violation of the cease-fire agreement reached in June between coalition forces and Moktada Sadr,” the statement said.

In addition, Mahdi Army insurgents have recently kidnapped six Iraqi police officers in Najaf, according to the statement. Five have been released, but one remains captive, it said.

Tbe New York Times

Members of Moktada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army milłtia fighting U.S. troops Thursday in Sadr City, a predominantły Shiite slum neighborhood in northeast Baghdad.