Erbil, April 9 (AKnews) - Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has threatened to mobilize a military wing of his movement that fought the US forces following the 2003 US-led war on Iraq if the US forces stay in Iraq after 2011.
Sadr's statement came as his representative Khalid al-Mullah was addressing a rally of protesters in Baghdad who called for the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq. According to an agreement between the US and Iraq, the US forces are expected to withdrawal from Iraq by the end of 2011.
"Not withdrawing from Iraq would mean two things, first; the escalation of military action and the annulment of a freeze on the Mahdi Army," the representative told the rally of protesters on behalf of Sadr, and aired live by the semi-official al-Iraqiya TV broadcaster.
Mahdi Army, the cleric's militia wing, engaged in bloody fights with the US forces and the Iraqi army in 2004 after the leader's newspaper ban and attempts to arrest him. Sadr froze the Mahdi Army in 2007 to engage in the political process.
"And the second is an increase in peaceful and popular resistance through rallies and protests in Iraq." he said.
The rally in Baghdad came in response to a call by the cleric to demonstrate against the US presence in Iraq.
Sadr has been calling on Iraqis to demonstrates against the US forces in Iraq since the early days of the US-led war on Iraq on the anniversary of the fall of the former regime, April 9.
RY/AKnews
http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/4/230664/
Sadr's statement came as his representative Khalid al-Mullah was addressing a rally of protesters in Baghdad who called for the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq. According to an agreement between the US and Iraq, the US forces are expected to withdrawal from Iraq by the end of 2011.
"Not withdrawing from Iraq would mean two things, first; the escalation of military action and the annulment of a freeze on the Mahdi Army," the representative told the rally of protesters on behalf of Sadr, and aired live by the semi-official al-Iraqiya TV broadcaster.
Mahdi Army, the cleric's militia wing, engaged in bloody fights with the US forces and the Iraqi army in 2004 after the leader's newspaper ban and attempts to arrest him. Sadr froze the Mahdi Army in 2007 to engage in the political process.
"And the second is an increase in peaceful and popular resistance through rallies and protests in Iraq." he said.
The rally in Baghdad came in response to a call by the cleric to demonstrate against the US presence in Iraq.
Sadr has been calling on Iraqis to demonstrates against the US forces in Iraq since the early days of the US-led war on Iraq on the anniversary of the fall of the former regime, April 9.
RY/AKnews
http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/4/230664/
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