Holy Najaf protest demands Mehdi Army pullout

By: Ismail Zabeeh

HOLY CITY OF NAJAF, Iraq: Residents of Holy Najaf on Friday took to the streets in a grand demonstration to press for the withdrawal of the Mehdi Army militia of Moqtada Sadr from the holy city.

According to AFP the procession marched for an hour towards the Imam Ali (A.S.) shrine, whose surroundings were the scene of intense combat between Sadr's militia and US troops until last week.

“Moqtada, take your hands off Najaf,” chanted the protestors. “The residents of Najaf do not welcome you,” they cried.

Many of the Sadr’s fighters are from the cleric's Baghdad bastion of Sadr City and the destruction they left behind them sparked widespread resentment among the locals.

Water and electricity networks are seriously damaged, markets completely burnt down and sanitary conditions are dire.

The demonstration was the first to be held in the city after three weeks of fierce fighting between Sadr's followers and US forces.

According to witnesses Iraqi police fired shots in the air to disperse the protestors and avert any clashes between the demonstrators and members of the Mehdi Army who have yet to evacuate the holy city.

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