Thursday, April 12, 2007
Families flee violence in Diwaniyah as Mahdi Army and security forces clash
Security
(Azzaman) - Fighting in the southern city of Diwaniya has forced hundreds of families to flee their homes. Fighting between U.S. forces and the militia group known as Mahdi Army has been raging in the city for four days. The troops are searching houses and mounting raids on residential areas where Mahdi Army fighters are reported to be hiding. The troops, aided by Iraqi police and forces, say they have ‘purged’ the northern sectors of the city and were heading towards the southern parts where they are meeting stiff resistance.
As the troops move into residential areas, hundreds of families are fleeing in disarray, fearing for their lives. The city has been under curfew for the past few days and without electricity and basic amenities. Hameed Jaati of the Health Department in Diwaniya said nine civilians have been killed and 25 others wounded in the fighting.
The Mahdi Army is the military wing of the movement led by the Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr who opposes the presence of U.S. occupation troops in the country. Sadr has six ministers in the cabinet and 30 deputies in parliament but his alliance with the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is unstable. He staged massive demonstration against U.S. occupation to mark the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad to U.S. troops and has threatened to leave the government.
Diwaniya, 180 kilometers south of Baghdad, is the administrative capital of the Province of Qadissiya. Located on a branch of the Euphrates River and on the Baghdad-Basra railroad, it is a marketplace for dates and grains.
As the troops move into residential areas, hundreds of families are fleeing in disarray, fearing for their lives. The city has been under curfew for the past few days and without electricity and basic amenities. Hameed Jaati of the Health Department in Diwaniya said nine civilians have been killed and 25 others wounded in the fighting.
The Mahdi Army is the military wing of the movement led by the Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr who opposes the presence of U.S. occupation troops in the country. Sadr has six ministers in the cabinet and 30 deputies in parliament but his alliance with the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is unstable. He staged massive demonstration against U.S. occupation to mark the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad to U.S. troops and has threatened to leave the government.
Diwaniya, 180 kilometers south of Baghdad, is the administrative capital of the Province of Qadissiya. Located on a branch of the Euphrates River and on the Baghdad-Basra railroad, it is a marketplace for dates and grains.
Labels: Diwaniya, Mahdi Army, Moqtada Al-Sadr, U.S. military
