US forces deployed at Najaf outskirts; Ayaat delegation holds talks

By: Ismail Zabeeh

HOLY CITY OF NAJAF, Iraq: Backed by tanks and artillery, a 2,500-strong US force pushed on Tuesday to the border of the holy city of Najaf, home to the holy shrine of Imam Ali (p), for a showdown with Moqtada As-Sadr who said he was willing to die in his fight against the US-led occupation.

Units set up a cordon on approaches to the city, barring Sadr’s al-Mahdi Army militiamen from leaving.

Iraqi leaders launched hurried negotiations aimed at averting a US assault on the holy city.

Col. Dana J.H. Pittard, the commander of the force, said his troops were aware that a “single shot in Najaf” by US soldiers could outrage Iraq's powerful Shiite majority.

Monday night, the sons of Iraq's three Ayaat Ayatullah Sistani's Muhammad Reza As-Sistani, Ayatullah Ishaq Al-Fayyaz's Sheikh Hydar Al-Fayyaz, and Sayyed Ali Sabzawari met As-Sadr in his Najaf office and assured him of their opposition to any US strike.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a person at the meeting said, “They agreed not to allow any hostile act against Moqtada As-Sadr and the city of Najaf.” A close source to As-Sadr's office said the delegation from Ayatullah As-Sistani office offered proposals to Moqtada As-Sadr, aimed at solving the ongoing crisis, which have been mainly welcomed by Sadr.

Also, As-Sadr ordered his militiamen out of police stations and government buildings in Najaf and the nearby cities of Karbala and Kufa. Police were back in their stations and on patrols.

Meanwhile, an aide to As-Sadr, Hazem al-Aaraji, was detained by troops of the US-led coalition in the Sheraton hotel in Baghdad, Tuesday. Later he was released.

According to Lt. Gen. Richard Cody, the deputy chief of staff for operations at the Pentagon, at least 78 US troops were killed and 561 were wounded in Iraq in the first 12 days of April.

In Indonesian capital city of Jakarta, Iraqi refugees burned a US flag during a demonstration outside the UN office Tuesday. Dozens of Iraqis staged the protest, demanding the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

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US seeks to kill or seize As-Sadr; 12 hostages released

WASHINGTON/ BAGHDAD: American commanders in Iraq want Iraqi cleric Moqtada As-Sadr dead or alive, and separately a member of the Governing Council said Monday kidnappers have released up to 12 foreigners taken hostage in Iraq as the US military said two US soldiers and seven American contractors were missing.

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