Iraq government cries victory in Najaf,but fighting rages on(Iraq Gov lied

[papau]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1504&ncid=1504&e=1&u=/afp/20040820/ts_afp/iraq_040820160246

Iraq government cries victory in Najaf,but fighting rages on(Iraq Gov lied)

NAJAF, Iraq (AFP) - Iraq's US-backed caretaker government cried victory in its 16-day standoff with Shiite Muslim militiamen in Najaf, but on the ground rebels fighters remained firmly in control of their stronghold in the city's holiest shrine. Despite protestations from the interior ministry that police had taken control of the Imam Ali mausoleum and detained several hundred militiamen loyal to Shiite radical leader Moqtada Sadr, an AFP correspondent in the shrine said he had not seen a single policeman. On the contrary, he said fighting continued to rage on the south side of the Old City between the militiamen and US-backed forces that have surrounded the shrine compound.


"We went to Sistani's office this morning to agree on giving up the keys to the mausoleum. His office called Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in London, who agreed to take the keys," Sheikh Ahmed al-Shaibani told AFP. "The visitors, human shields and militiamen will then leave the shrine," he added. But the spokesman gave no timeframe for implementing the agreement so it was unclear why government officials in Baghdad had so wildly overstated the situation on the ground. <snip>

[bemildred]

1. Kick.

Some bits on al Jazeera:

But in an interview with Aljazeera, an al-Sadr aide, Ahmad
al-Shaibani, denied police had entered the site and said Kadhim's
statement was "laughable".

"There were no al-Mahdi Army men in the holy shrine as of this morning - they are all in the old sector of the
city and there is intense fighting with US troops there," al-Shaibani told Aljazeera.

---

A US defence official went further and denied Iraqi government claims that Iraqi police had entered the holy
shrine.

"Not a lick of truth to it," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We are still outside of the
shrine, and so are the Iraqi police."

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6D629FC1-D279-46C3-B539-74F98CCFB299.htm

[KittyWampus]

2. That AFP Correspondant Is The Reason Junior Didn't Want Journalists There

how DARE they report differently than the Iraqi Govt. and Wolf Blitzer.

[blitzen]

3. Did they hire Baghdad Bob as spokesperson? n/t

[daleo]

4. It is like the old Soviet Union

Trying to figure out what is happening from news reports gets harder and harder. They said in the old Soviet Union if you read a bunch of reports of plane crashes in the west, that really meant a plane had crashed in Russia.

[Kagemusha]

5. I feel for Juan Cole here.

He must be going just nuts reading this.

[papau]

6. AP now reports Sadr controls, but weapons removed, and key might

go to al-Sistani's office tonight.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBG6RGK4YD.html

Al-Sadr Fighters Remove Their Weapons From Shiite Shrine in Move to End Fighting
By Abdul Hussein Al-Obeidi Associated Press Writer

NAJAF, Iraq (AP) - Militiamen loyal to rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Friday removed weapons from the revered Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf in a step aimed at ending the 2-week-old uprising centered on the holy site. The move came as al-Sadr's followers were working out the handing of control over the shrine to Iraq's highest Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani. Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army have used the walled compound as a stronghold and refuge - and turning it over would likely mean an end to their revolt.

Al-Sistani agreed to take control of the shrine, and one al-Sadr aide said the keys to the shrine could be handed over later Friday, though details were still being worked out.

Sporadic gunfire and occasional explosions were heard in the city Friday evening, but far less than previous nights.

By nightfall, al-Sadr's followers remained in control of the shrine, but they were no longer bringing their weapons inside the walled compound of the holy site, according to an Associated Press reporter inside.

Many armed militiamen were still around the shrine, circulating in the Old City district, but as they entered the compound they left their guns with comrades outside, then reclaimed them as they exited. Inside the compound, unarmed fighters mingled with civilians.

The AP reporter saw no weapons in the shrine. It was not known whether any weapons were hidden inside, though militant leaders denied they had hidden any.

No police or Iraqi security forces were in the shrine. <snip>

[David__77]

7. It is NOT unclear why the Iraqi puppets would do this.

They proclaim "victory" because they are trying to overcome their impotence. No one fears or respects them, nor should they. Allawi and his gang are really powerless without their American big brothers.