IRAQ: SHEIKH QAIS AL-KHAZALI SPOKESMAN FOR SHI'ITE CLERIC MOQTADA AL-SADR WARNS OF SUICIDE ATTACKS ON U.S. FORCES IF THEY ATTACK THE CITY OF NAJAF.

Record ID: 648660

  • Title: IRAQ: SHEIKH QAIS AL-KHAZALI SPOKESMAN FOR SHI'ITE CLERIC MOQTADA AL-SADR WARNS OF SUICIDE ATTACKS ON U.S. FORCES IF THEY ATTACK THE CITY OF NAJAF.
  • Date: 27th April 2004
  • Summary: (W3) NAJAF, IRAQ (APRIL 28, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. GV: STREET IN HOLY CITY OF NAJAF. 0.06 2. MV: PEOPLE WALKING IN STREET. 0.12 (W3) NAJAF, IRAQ (APRIL 27, 2004) (REUTERS) 3. SCU: SOUNDBITE (Arabic) SPOKESMAN FOR SHI'ITE CLERIC MOQTADA AL-SADR, SHEIKH QAIS AL-KHAZALI, SAYING: "The number of people who are ready to carry out suicide attacks is increasing day after day, and we are telling them to wait till they (U.S. forces ) cross the "red lines" as defined by the religious authority." 0.29 4. SCU: CAMERAMEN. 0.36 5. SCU: SOUNDBITE ( Arabic), SHEIKH AL-KHAZALI, SAYING: "We are not in an offensive position now, but if the situation requires us to attack we are ready, we have weapons. The defensive position gives us better chances of control and, God willing, a bright page in the history will be written soon where the sons of this religious sect prove their readiness and capability to defend their holy cities." 0.59 (W3) NAJAF, IRAQ (APRIL 28, 2004) (REUTERS) 6. GV: OF STREET IN NAJAF CITY. 1.05 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 12th May 2004 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NAJAF, IRAQ
  • Country: Iraq
  • Reuters ID: LVA3IUJ7Z8S75V1VX3MD64UN8EAB
  • Story Text: Spokesman of rebel Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada
    al-Sadr warns that people loyal to the cleric would unleash
    suicide attacks if the U.S. forces attacked the holy city
    of Najaf.



    Sheikh Qais al-Khazali, spokesman for the Shi'ite
    cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Tuesday (April 27) that
    people loyal to the cleric were ready to unleash suicide
    attacks if U.S. forces attacked the holy city of Najaf.

    Khazali echoed an earlier threat announced by Sadr at
    his last Friday prayers in Kufa.

    "The number of people who are ready to carry out
    suicide attacks are increasing day after day, and we are
    telling them to wait till they (U.S. forces ) cross the
    "red lines" as defined by the religious authority," Sheikh
    al-khazali told a news conference in Najaf on Tuesday.

    He said that the Sadr's militia of Mehdi army were not
    yet in defensive positions, but were more than capable of
    repulsing any attack on the city.

    "We are not in an offensive position now, but if the
    situation requires us to attack we are ready, we have
    weapons. The defensive position gives us a better chance of
    control and, God willing, a bright page in the history will
    be written soon where the sons of this religious sect
    proved their readiness and capability to defend their holy
    cities."
    Sadr, 30, is wanted for the killing last year of
    another Shi'ite cleric. He has vowed to mount suicide
    attacks if the Americans try to capture him.

    U.S. forces killed 64 fighters loyal to Sadr near the
    holy city of Najaf on Monday (April 26), hours after
    Washington issued an ultimatum to him to clear his militia
    and their arms from mosques there, a U.S. spokesman said.

    Sadr's militia has been holed up in Najaf for more than
    two weeks with U.S. forces massed outside in a standoff
    described as "explosive" by senior coalition officials.

    Officials said 57 were wiped out in a single assault
    against a lone anti-aircraft gun spotted during clashes on
    the ground. A Sadr aide said only 19 of those killed were
    members of the militia.

    It was the bloodiest encounter since the firebrand
    preacher and his Mehdi Army launched a brief revolt against
    the U.S.-led occupation three weeks ago before taking
    refuge in the city among Shi'ite Islam's holiest shrines.

    Some 2,500 U.S. soldiers are deployed outside Najaf
    vowing to kill or capture al-Sadr and dismantle his
    militia.

    Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali
    al-Husseini al-Sistani has declared the two holy cities of
    Kerbala and Najaf "red lines", warning of a strong Shiite
    response if U.S. forces enter the city of Najaf to capture
    Sadr.

    Sadr had been a harsh critic of the U.S. occupation
    since the fall of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party regime just
    over a year ago, but despite his formation of his own
    militia, U.S. officials were content to mostly ignore the
    junior cleric, who commanded far less respect from Iraq's
    Shi'ite population than other senior clerics such as
    Sistani.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register