Continued confrontations in Iraq, up to 61 killed and 341 wounded Occupation: a warrant against al-Sader
Iraq-USA, Politics, 4/6/2004

The American occupation forces have declared Muqtada al-Sader as an outlaw and disclosed a warrant of arrest against him in a step that would increase tension and clashes which were escalated yesterday resulting in killing 61 Iraqis, 8 Americans and wounding 341 Iraqis as a new outcome for two days of clashes.

Meantime, al-Sader called on the Iraqis not to " cooperate with the occupation forces in attacking their Iraqi brothers" and to pursue " a middle way," expressing his "pride" to be an outlaw.

In a statement circulated in al-Kofa, al-Sader said "I call on all the Iraqi forces and the Islamic political and secular parties and all other sides not to collaborate with the occupation in striking their Iraqi brothers in general, Sunni and Shiite, in northern and southern Iraq. There is no difference."

Meantime, the American army announced that one American died because of his wounds in confrontations in al-Sader city on Sunday and this increased the number of Americans killed in this battle to 8. Hospitals sources said that 30 Iraqis were killed and 110 wounded in the same confrontations.

New confrontations erupted yesterday in the Shiite al-Shu'la quarters in Baghdad where al-Sader's supporters clashed with one American patrol in confrontations resulted in destroying one American military vehicle.

The American occupation forces said that one Apache plane was hit by light weapons and retaliated the fire, but witnesses explained that two Apache planes were seen bombarding an office for al-Sader in al-Shu'la quarters resulted in killing five persons and wounding scores others.

A high ranking American army officer said that some 1,000 American soldiers tried on Sunday evening to deploy into the al- Sader city in Baghdad following an attack at an American patrol and clashes with some 500 members of al-Sader's supporters. He added that the clashes ended in the deployment of tanks while the Iraqi police restored back control on their positions al-Sader's supporters had occupied.

The Spanish foreign ministry said that al-Sader's supporters carried out a series of attacks in al-Najaf city and this pushed the Iraqi police to escape to the Spanish force based in al-Najaf and al-Deyaneyah which were bombarded by mortars on Sunday evening but no casualties were reported.

Some 22 Iraq and soldiers from el-Salvador and one American were killed in confrontations in al-Najaf on Sunday and more than 210 Iraqis were wounded.

Witnesses said that al-Sader's supporters seized the holy shrines for the Shiite in al-Najaf and Karbala and the public buildings deserted by the Iraqi police.

Previous Stories:
  Two Americans killed; Bush will not be scared, nor withdraw; al-Sader: we are the Iraqi wing for Hamas and Hizbullah   (4/3/2004)
  Three new Americans were wounded in al-Falouja, Powell: we will not run from Iraq   (4/2/2004)
  governing council set conditions for elections; One American is killed, al-Seisatni demands guarantees   (3/31/2004)

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