Najaf Tribal Leaders Urge Sadr Militia to End Conflict
Tribal leaders in this Shiite Muslim holy city called Wednesday for an anti-American cleric’s militia to end its standoff with U.S. troops.
A statement signed by 25 tribal leaders was the first direct call by Najaf residents for Muqtada Sadr’s Al Mahdi army militia to halt the conflict.
“To all armed people in the holy city of Najaf: After the failure of peaceful efforts and increasing tension in the city, we ask you in the name of Islam to preserve the holiness of the city,” the one-page statement said.
“We call upon you to leave matters to Iraqi officials and legitimate authorities so that the blood of innocent people is not shed,” it said.
Sadr is wanted in the killing of a rival cleric who was stabbed in April last year shortly after returning to Najaf from exile.
He has taken refuge in his office across the street from the Shiites’ holiest site in Iraq, the shrine of Imam Ali.
U.S. troops are on the outskirts of the city on a mission to capture or kill Sadr, though commanders have said they have no intention of entering it soon.
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