Iraq

Sadr threatens war if attacks on his supporters continue

Article published on the 2008-04-20 Latest update 2008-04-21 15:29 TU

Moqtada Sadr
(Photo: AFP)

Residents of Baghdad's Sadr City mosques say that mosques made a call to arms on Sunday, shortly after Muslim-Shi'ia hard line cleric Moqtada al-Sadr threatened a new uprising. The poorest slum of Baghdad has been under constant attack by Iraqi and US forces. The crackdown on the al-Sadr stronghold started in late March.

Another eight people were killed in clashes overnight, according to Iraqi security and medical officials.

The mosque messages repeated Sadr's call for US-led force to lift the Sadr City siege, warning of an all-out war if this is not followed.

Al-Sadr's message also called on the Iraqi army "not to fight your brothers." 

In a surprise visit on Sunday, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice went to Baghdad. She is in the region for conferences with Gulf States.

UN and Iraqi forces are building a wall through Sadr City to stop  militias from firing rockets into the Green Zone, where the US embassy and the seat of the Iraqi government is located.

The wall will be made of cement blocks stacked up to three metres high, enclosing the southern section in order to control access to and from the area, said a US military spokesman.