‘Sabha has 2 sons, Moqtada & Saddam’ - Najafis demand Sadr leave

By: Ismail Zabeeh

HOLY CITY OF NAJAF, Iraq: Thousands of Holy Najaf residents took to streets in this holy city on this weekend demanding immediate pullout of Moqtada Sard along with his militia from the City of Imam Ali (AS).

The demonstrators were shouting anti-Moqada, anti-militia slogans describing its elements as thieves. Police did not allow them to the mid of the old city where Moqtada Sadr's office is situated.

“Sabha laha waldaan, Moqtada wa Saddam” (Sabha has two sons – Moqtada and Saddam”, the demonstrators chanted referring to the ousted Saddam’s mother.

Several demonstrations have been staged in recent days by Holy Najaf residents demanding that Sadr and his Mehdi Army militia leave the holy city, blaming him for the destruction which resulted from weeks of fighting with US troops around the Imam Ali (AS) holy shrine.

The Iraqi government has accused Sadr supporters of killing and torturing scores of people during the standoff.

Meanwhile, one of Sadr's top aides told AFP on Monday that Iraqi security forces were surrounding the office of Moqtada Sadr in the Holy Najaf.

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