Iraqi Cleric Sketches Deal to End Insurgency
By Suleiman al-Khalidi
(Reuters)
NAJAF, Iraq -- Senior aides to Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr agreed with other Shi'ite Muslim factions on Tuesday that Sadr could pull his Mehdi Army militia out of Najaf in return for a U.S. withdrawal from the holy city.
If the agreement in principle can be put into practice, it could end an insurgency against the U.S. occupation that has swept Shi'ite southern Iraq, threatening U.S. plans to reduce its military presence and hand power to an Iraqi government.
"Agreement has been reached on all points of contention. This agreement represents all shades of the Shi'ite political spectrum," Qais al-Khazali, Sadr's chief aide in Najaf, told Reuters after a meeting with rival Shi'ite leaders.
"This is the beginning of a solution to the crisis that endangers everyone," said Abu Hassan Amari, head of the Badr Brigades militia which is loyal to the rival Shi'ite party, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI).
There was no initial response from the U.S. military which occupies a small base and other buildings in Najaf but has kept away from the holy shrines where Sadr and his fighters have taken refuge as a month-long insurgency has stalled.
But earlier, the U.S. commander in the region, Major General Martin Dempsey said that his forces were prepared to hand over security in Najaf to a locally raised security force that could include members of Sadr's Mehdi Army.
Amari said one of the elements of the agreement in principle was the creation of a broad Iraqi security force.
Rival Shi'ite leaders have appeared particularly anxious to end the standoff in Najaf as local irritation with its economic impact has grown and fears have mounted that fighting could break out among various armed Shi'ite groups across the south.
There was no word on whether the deal addressed the fate of Sadr himself, a young firebrand who has irritated the Shi'ite establishment. He is wanted by an Iraqi prosecutor over the murder of a fellow cleric in Najaf a year ago.
Last month, U.S. officials vowed to kill or capture him. But they have recently backed away from that demand, preferring to stress they would support a solution worked out by Iraqis.
Arab media said the recently appointed, U.S.-approved governor of Najaf had said charges against Sadr could be put on hold if he agreed to disarm his fighters.
Falluja Model?
One model for resolving the conflict could be that of the Sunni Muslim town of Falluja, where U.S. Marines agreed to pull back after a month-long siege and turned security in the town over to an Iraqi force drawn partly from among former guerrillas.
U.S. demands in Falluja for weapons and foreign fighters to be turned over have yet to be met. But so far it seems a price U.S. commanders are prepared to pay for peace as they prepare to hand sovereignty to an Iraqi government on June 30.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of people marched in Najaf to demand the Mehdi Army leave.
Dempsey, whose troops have struck back hard at Sadr's fighters and now ring the city, confirmed negotiations to raise a local defense force that could take in fighters who defect from Sadr's cause.
"I'm looking to build it with people who are certified to me by credible Iraqi tribal leaders, political leaders and religious leaders," Dempsey said, adding members of Sadr's militia could join if they were not wanted for crimes.
"If the militia disarms itself and wants to be part of a peaceful, legitimate organization then I think that in a couple of months we'd be able to find a way for them in it... They'd have to be guaranteed though," he said.
Sadr launched thousands of guerrillas against the U.S. occupation last month, taking over town centers and key buildings across Shi'ite southern Iraq. But the U.S.-led forces have pushed them back. Sadr and his fighters are now isolated in the effective sanctuary of Najaf's holy shrines.
Asked if the new force would mean U.S. troops keeping away from sacred sites in Najaf, Dempsey said: "I can foresee a situation where we might find ourselves on the outskirts."
He said the Najaf model could be applied elsewhere.
By Suleiman al-Khalidi
(Reuters)
NAJAF, Iraq -- Senior aides to Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr agreed with other Shi'ite Muslim factions on Tuesday that Sadr could pull his Mehdi Army militia out of Najaf in return for a U.S. withdrawal from the holy city.
If the agreement in principle can be put into practice, it could end an insurgency against the U.S. occupation that has swept Shi'ite southern Iraq, threatening U.S. plans to reduce its military presence and hand power to an Iraqi government.
"Agreement has been reached on all points of contention. This agreement represents all shades of the Shi'ite political spectrum," Qais al-Khazali, Sadr's chief aide in Najaf, told Reuters after a meeting with rival Shi'ite leaders.
"This is the beginning of a solution to the crisis that endangers everyone," said Abu Hassan Amari, head of the Badr Brigades militia which is loyal to the rival Shi'ite party, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI).
There was no initial response from the U.S. military which occupies a small base and other buildings in Najaf but has kept away from the holy shrines where Sadr and his fighters have taken refuge as a month-long insurgency has stalled.
But earlier, the U.S. commander in the region, Major General Martin Dempsey said that his forces were prepared to hand over security in Najaf to a locally raised security force that could include members of Sadr's Mehdi Army.
Amari said one of the elements of the agreement in principle was the creation of a broad Iraqi security force.
Rival Shi'ite leaders have appeared particularly anxious to end the standoff in Najaf as local irritation with its economic impact has grown and fears have mounted that fighting could break out among various armed Shi'ite groups across the south.
There was no word on whether the deal addressed the fate of Sadr himself, a young firebrand who has irritated the Shi'ite establishment. He is wanted by an Iraqi prosecutor over the murder of a fellow cleric in Najaf a year ago.
Last month, U.S. officials vowed to kill or capture him. But they have recently backed away from that demand, preferring to stress they would support a solution worked out by Iraqis.
Arab media said the recently appointed, U.S.-approved governor of Najaf had said charges against Sadr could be put on hold if he agreed to disarm his fighters.
Falluja Model?
One model for resolving the conflict could be that of the Sunni Muslim town of Falluja, where U.S. Marines agreed to pull back after a month-long siege and turned security in the town over to an Iraqi force drawn partly from among former guerrillas.
U.S. demands in Falluja for weapons and foreign fighters to be turned over have yet to be met. But so far it seems a price U.S. commanders are prepared to pay for peace as they prepare to hand sovereignty to an Iraqi government on June 30.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of people marched in Najaf to demand the Mehdi Army leave.
Dempsey, whose troops have struck back hard at Sadr's fighters and now ring the city, confirmed negotiations to raise a local defense force that could take in fighters who defect from Sadr's cause.
"I'm looking to build it with people who are certified to me by credible Iraqi tribal leaders, political leaders and religious leaders," Dempsey said, adding members of Sadr's militia could join if they were not wanted for crimes.
"If the militia disarms itself and wants to be part of a peaceful, legitimate organization then I think that in a couple of months we'd be able to find a way for them in it... They'd have to be guaranteed though," he said.
Sadr launched thousands of guerrillas against the U.S. occupation last month, taking over town centers and key buildings across Shi'ite southern Iraq. But the U.S.-led forces have pushed them back. Sadr and his fighters are now isolated in the effective sanctuary of Najaf's holy shrines.
Asked if the new force would mean U.S. troops keeping away from sacred sites in Najaf, Dempsey said: "I can foresee a situation where we might find ourselves on the outskirts."
He said the Najaf model could be applied elsewhere.
