The protests follow Muqtada al-Sadr's call Wednesday to reject the U.S. occupation of Iraq by painting Israeli and American flags on the ground outside mosques to be stepped on in protest raids against holy places.
The call came a day after U.S. and Iraqi forces detained 13 al-Sadr supporters during a raid on a Shiite mosque in Mahmoudiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad. The troops confiscated a mortar system and assault rifle ammunition from the mosque, which the Iraqi forces entered but the Americans did not in line with U.S. military policy.
In Nasiriyah, about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad, al-Sadr supporters clashed with guards at the headquarters of Dhi Qar provincial governor, Aziz Abed Alwan.
The fighting broke out before noon as about 2,000 members of al-Sadr's al-Mahdi Amy marched toward the cleric's local office, which is near the governor's headquarters.
Armed men guarding the headquarters shot toward the crowd in an apparent bid to disperse it, prompting retaliatory fire from al-Sadr supporters.
So I have to ask yet again, why is this man still alive? What will it take to prompt the Iraqi government to deal with this enemy of Iraq? Can we not see that al-Sadr will keep coming back until he is six feet under?
I'm a reasonable man. I'll settle for arresting him and putting him away for a long time after a proper trial. But letting him run loose is courting trouble. One day he may learn from his defeats and engineer an outcome to his benefit.
Do not let that day arrive. He is not a joke. Al-Sadr is a threat. Deal with him.
