Monday, April 09, 2007
Curfew as al-Sadr supporters demonstrate on anniversary of Saddam's fall
Security
(BBC) - Thousands of supporters of the radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr are gathering in the holy city of Najaf to hold mass demonstrations. Mr Sadr has called for a million-strong protest to coincide with the fourth anniversary of Saddam Hussein's fall. The protesters will demand the withdrawal of coalition troops. A 24-hour ban on movement by all vehicles, for fear of car bomb attacks on the anniversary, has been imposed in Baghdad from 0500 (0100 GMT) on Monday.
Moqtada al-Sadr called for the mass protest in a statement on Sunday. "In order to end the occupation, you will go out and demonstrate," the fiery cleric said. Mr Sadr is not expected to attend the protests. He ordered Iraqis not to "walk alongside the occupiers, because they are your archenemy" and to turn all their efforts on US forces. Thousands of Shias responded by heading to Najaf in tightly packed buses and cars, with the Baghdad-Najaf road reportedly crammed.
Some demonstrators shouted slogans: "No, no, no to America... Moqtada, yes, yes, yes," they chanted. Reports said demonstrators had been told to carry the Iraqi flag. "It will be an Iraqi demonstration in the name of all Iraqis," a representative of Mr Sadr told the French news agency AFP. A police spokesman in Najaf, Col Ali Jiryo, said cars were banned from entering the city for a 24-hour period. Buses would transport demonstrators to the city centre, he said.
Senior American officers have described Moqtada al-Sadr as the biggest threat to Iraq's stability, says the BBC's Jonathan Charles in Baghdad. They accuse his Mehdi army militia of carrying out killings, fuelling the sectarian divide between Shias and Sunnis.
Moqtada al-Sadr called for the mass protest in a statement on Sunday. "In order to end the occupation, you will go out and demonstrate," the fiery cleric said. Mr Sadr is not expected to attend the protests. He ordered Iraqis not to "walk alongside the occupiers, because they are your archenemy" and to turn all their efforts on US forces. Thousands of Shias responded by heading to Najaf in tightly packed buses and cars, with the Baghdad-Najaf road reportedly crammed.
Some demonstrators shouted slogans: "No, no, no to America... Moqtada, yes, yes, yes," they chanted. Reports said demonstrators had been told to carry the Iraqi flag. "It will be an Iraqi demonstration in the name of all Iraqis," a representative of Mr Sadr told the French news agency AFP. A police spokesman in Najaf, Col Ali Jiryo, said cars were banned from entering the city for a 24-hour period. Buses would transport demonstrators to the city centre, he said.
Senior American officers have described Moqtada al-Sadr as the biggest threat to Iraq's stability, says the BBC's Jonathan Charles in Baghdad. They accuse his Mehdi army militia of carrying out killings, fuelling the sectarian divide between Shias and Sunnis.
COMMENT: Such a large gathering of Shias in one location will present a prime opportunity for militant groups to strike with suicide bombs. The result of such an event, with tensions running high already could have disastrous results in the form of retaliations. COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: curfew, demonstration, Moqtada Al-Sadr, Najaf
