Protestors in Najaf ask Al-Sadr to withdraw militia units
Najaf (AsiaNews) Hundreds of mostly women protestors wearing black chadors rallied downtown yesterday shouting for Imam Moqtada Al-Sadr to withdraw his militia forced form the holy city of Najaf.
Chants like "Holy city, weapons-free!" were heard while demonstrators paraded about with photos of Ayatollah Al-Sistani held up. The protestors, starting from downtown Najaf, made their way to the outskirts of the city, just 700 meters from where the area's famous Shiite sanctuaries are located. While there, they stopped in front of Al-Sadr's offices to protest.
Al-Mahdi militants, Al-Sadr's rebel forces, fired shots into the air to instill fear and break up the crowd of protestors.
Today, Najaf's new governor, Adnan Al-Zarfi, said he wanted to round up 4000 men from the country's civil protection armed forces to reestablish order and respect for law in Najaf. Al-Zarfi also stated that official court enquires for the legal charges brought against Imam Moqtada Al-Sadr, accused of having masterminded Imam Al-Khoi's murder, will get underway after June 30, and not prior to this date as the investigating magistrate overseeing the case had wanted.
On May 9 Sadr Elddin Al-Kabengi, member of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution, asked Al-Sadr's supporters to lay down their weapons and leave Najaf so that Iraqi police could move in and guarantee security in the Shiite holy city. (PB)
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01/04/2008
