The Hindu : International : U.S. gunships target Shia militia

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Tuesday, Apr 06, 2004

International

International

U.S. gunships target Shia militia

By Atul Aneja

Shia militiamen raise anti-U.S. slogans from the top of the Governor's house they occupied in Basra, Iraq, on Monday. — AP

MANAMA, APRIL 5. Faced with a revolt by a Shia religious militia across Iraq, U.S. forces have used helicopter gunships to target a volatile district in Baghdad.

The helicopters fired at members of the Mehdi Army, loyal to the firebrand Shia cleric, Muqtada Al-Sadr, in the restive Al-Shuala district. Al-Sadr's forces that are heading the revolt have also been up in arms in the Sadr city — another Shia stronghold on the outskirts of Baghdad. Last night, American troops clashed with the members of the Mehdi Army, resulting in the deaths of eight soldiers. An estimated 22 Iraqis were also killed in the fighting. There have been four other points of confrontation in the Shia-dominated southern Iraq.

Governor's office occupied

Around 150 people of the Mehdi army have taken over the Governor's office in Basra. They are holding a sit-in there and demanding the release of Mustapha Yaqubi, Al-Sadr's deputy who was arrested by occupation forces on Saturday.

In Al-Amhara, also in southern Iraq, four Iraqis were killed during a clash with British troops on Sunday. In Najaf, fighting between the Mehdi Army and Spanish troops on Sunday resulted in the death of 28 people. The surge in Shia protests over the last two days, has claimed the lives of at least nine soldiers and 46 Iraqis.

Al-Sadr's supporters began protest demonstrations after U.S. authorities shut down the Al Hawza newspaper linked to the cleric's group last Sunday. Shia resentment gathered further momentum after Mr. Yaqubi was picked up for his alleged involvement in the murder of Abdel-Majid-al-Khoei, a Shia cleric who was based in London. Mr. Yaqubi came back to Iraq after the war.

Outside the Shia-dominated areas, U.S. forces are preparing for a showdown in the Sunni-dominated town of Fallujah, around 45 km west of Baghdad. American troops have reportedly sealed all routes leading to the town in preparation for a major military thrust.

Fallujah's `siege' has resulted in the closure of the main highway that links Baghdad with Jordan. This road skirts Fallujah and Ramadi, which has also been turbulent in the recent past. The U.S. decision to confront guerillas and `pacify' Fallujah has acquired some urgency after four American contractors, working for a U.S. security firm, were killed there last week. Their bodies were mutilated and dragged through the streets tied behind vehicles. The American administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, issued a stern warning this morning following the collision between the U.S. forces and Al-Sadr's men. "We have a group under Muqtada al-Sadr that has basically placed itself outside the legal authorities, the coalition and Iraqi officials," he said. During the day, one U.S. vehicle was reportedly set aflame in the Al-Shuala district, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. Eyewitnesses said that the confrontation went out of hand after a U.S. troop convoy that was trying to enter the district came under fire.

After last night's flare-up, tension in Sadr City remained high. U.S. tanks had blocked all entrances to the city, but there were reports that protesters had reassembled in the area.

The atmosphere remained charged in the wake of the funeral processions of those killed overnight. The top spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, had on Sunday appealed for calm and negotiations. Lebanon's top Shia cleric, Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, condemned on Monday the "horrible massacres" committed by U.S. occupation forces in Iraq.

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