Sadr called for to be off Najaf as US forces tighten grip

By: Ismail Zabeeh

HOLY CITY OF NAJAF, Iraq: US forces tightened their grip on the holy city of Najaf and battled Moqtada As-Sadr loyalists near the holy shrines in Karbala as a senior cleric called in Friday prayers for Sadr's Mehdi Army militia to leave Najaf.

“Listen to the advice of the learned ones. You are our beloved youth and we care about you, but go back to your home where you came from and fight the occupation and the Baathists there,” senior cleric Sheikh Sadreddin Kubanji told thousands of worshippers at the Imam Ali (p) Mausoleum.

Minutes after Kubanji delivered his message, that came after Shiite religious and tribal leaders met Tuesday in Najaf calling on Sadr to quit holy cities, militiamen gathered in the courtyard. It was not clear if they wanted to talk to Kubanji.

It was the strongest denunciation of Sadr and his Medhi Army since they seized the city. Locals have accused the Mehdi Army of looting shops in Najaf.

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