WAR: Najaf Peace Offer Accepted

Spokesman for radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr says he has agreed to terms of Najaf peace deal offered by Iraqi government. Details soon.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has agreed to Iraqi demands that he leave the Imam Ali mosque in Najaf, disband his Mehdi Army and "enter into the mainstream political process," his spokesman said Wednesday.




Let's hope this is true and comes to pass.



[edit on 18-8-2004 by elevatedone]

[edit on 18-8-2004 by elevatedone]

[edit on 18-8-2004 by John bull 1]

[edit on 8-19-2004 by Valhall]

I wonder if part of the deal is the surrender of Muqtada al-Sadr, this will be something interesting to see.

Iraq's radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has agreed to demands to leave a holy shrine in Najaf and disarm his militia, one of his spokesmen said.

"Yes, Sayyed Moqtada has agreed to the demands," Sheik Mahmoud al-Sudani said.

www.abc.net.au...

Well, lets hope this is true,
Sanc'.

Wonder what he has up his sleeve ... or is it ... what he has up his robe.
Peace isn't something these people aim for.
They use it as a war tactic. They claim truce or peace
when they are getting their butts whipped. They use
the time to regroup.

It would be nice if this were true. But I look upon it
with weary eyes ... they use peace as a tactic and
considering their track record .... I don't trust it.

Foxnews is reporting he agreed to walk out of the Mosque and lay down his arms.

No word on if he will surrender to authorities or simply blend back into society.

I think they have trusted this man way to much and they need to arrest and detain him or he will rise up again.

I hope the peace comes through, too much fighting in that city and between the radical al-Sadr and his millitants.

Who knows maybe when he'll pull a suicide martyr trick and blow himself up outside the Mosque.

Like Nativeokie said, they trust him way too much. His been preaching violence against the US and the good Iraqis for a long time. Just arrest the nutcase .

Ah yes, and now with him out of the way the US can sweep through the region and spread democracy...cough.....erm....capitalism

Haliburton and co. will be lining up to sniff the black drug, with the new Iraqi government....cough....erm....puppet government ready to sell out their own people.

August 19, 2004. 2:00am

A Reuters journalist in Najaf reported continued gunfire and explosions in the city as the reports came out and said he could see two US tanks on a street near the old city.

Faris Ahmed, a 20-year-old plumber living in Najaf said he had heard nothing about an agreement to end the crisis.

"Sadr is a religious man. I haven't heard of any agreement but the fighting should only stop if the Americans and the government forces get out of here."

www.abc.net.au...

If any other member can work this 'charade' out, could you let me know

Sanc'.

Oh, great... lets just give him another chance to rearm and regroup. The news reports on how many US dead, but I don't hear anything about how many wounded. How many troops have lost limbs, eyes, and/or their hearing just so we can go back and do it again?

No this is just another delay which will bring more American soldier deaths when fighting resumes. Bush our current commander in Cheif has the power right now to end this. He can order an attack to remove these thugs right this minuet, but Bush has allowed this to turn into a political war (I said Bush) which will cost more american lives.

Right this very second, Bush could give the orders, that would put a definate end to this, and save American lives in the long run.

He wont because it would cause him to possibly lose a few votes in Novemeber.

Attacking now and ending this is the right thing for our Nation to do for our Soldiers. Bush will chose his own political future over the lives of our soldiers just as he has for the last 12 months.

X

[edit on 18-8-2004 by Xeven]

maybe I shouldn't be so skeptical as to this new peace offer, but i am, especially when acceptance from Al-Sadr follows threats of Iraqi troops storming the Imam Ali Shrine and now the demands being made by Al-Sadr. Per FOX, Al-Sadr, wants to make sure that none members of his army is arrested, and that the US pull back tanks from the areas surrounding the shrine. I feel this a ploy, but i do hope it can end without the shrine becoming a bloody battlefield.

Jazzerman,

That was very funny, and anyway al-Sadr has become the leadder of this people now or may I said religious group, so US will have to be very careful how it handles this situation with him.

Jazzerman... the sad fact is that most people need to be led. What's important is who's leading the masses. Yes when stated the way that you just did... The U.S.'s tactics seem distasteful, but let's make a comparison... The leaders of those countries keep the "black drug" to themselves using it to impower a few while keeping the vast majority of their populations illiterate and ignorant of world events and progression. They then use the money from that oil to fund massive propaganda campaigns which use primarily... religion of all things, in order to brainwash and control the masses starting at incredibly young ages. Their propaganda does not influence the people to buy things, but instead urges them to kill and terrorize in the name of... GOD. All governments lie and manipulate, but I'd rather they use McDonald's than GOD lol. Which do you think is more dangerous? Like the old cliche says, we must "choose the lesser of two evils". Also, the fact that this website and others like it exist, is example enough of the difference between the two sides of this affair. If we want the real story... WE can find it and they cannot. Unless we build giant walls around our countries and close the borders to non citizens... then this conflict is unavoidable until the entire world catches up to a more... civilized approach to life.

Originally posted by elevatedone
Spokesman for radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr says he has agreed to terms of Najaf peace deal offered by Iraqi government. Details soon.

 

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has agreed to Iraqi demands that he leave the Imam Ali mosque in Najaf, disband his Mehdi Army and "enter into the mainstream political process," his spokesman said Wednesday.

While I am sure most people find it distasteful that someone who took up arms against the us, britain, poland, and ther other contries involved in the invasion/occupation, a guy who hid his rebels in mosques, being given a 'free pass' so to speak, and entering politics, it does show that the system there might work. Many iraqis feel more or less like sadr does, at least with varying degrees of intensities. I had actually thought that this guy, the son of a shi'a cleric executed by husseins thugs (after, reportedly, having to watch them rape and murder his sister) would've been a very powerful player. Well, at least now his mahdi army won't be part of the insurgency, and it will be a big step towards legitimatizing the iraqi government amoung shiites. It should also 'pull the rug' out from under the iranian operatives who have to be there (assuming of course that he isn't one himself, like say chalabi was).

fortunate1...Please don't think I'm trying to defend al-Sadr in any respect, he is just another hate spreading extremist.

However, what makes us so civilized? If being civilized means materialism, control by mass media and corporations, product placement (ie propaganda) then why would one want to become "civilized"? The very definition of that word is quite appalling to me...as being "civilized" is usually based on opinions of ethnocentrism and ignorance.

I agree that some countries keep their people in the dark about education and knowledge, but I ask you this. Why is it our duty to change them? The US grew out of the spawn of the American Revolution eventually being a major component of the Industrial Revolution. We grew this way because WE were the one's that started the revolution. Sure, we had help from France, but the Iraqi people have never stood up against their own leaders. If they do not do so, how do you suppose they will ever advance to our level of "civilized" society? People must take the first step themselves in order to learn anything from a situation, and if its always handed to them, they learn nothing.

PS- I have heard the word "civilized" thrown around throughout history. From the eradication of the Native Americans to the enslavement of African Americans the term "civilized" has been used to show how much better the western world is. However, we are the sons and daughters of the very people who practiced these despicable acts in American history. Prejudice, racial conflict, threat of terror, etc. have all played into the mindset of Americans and has made us think we are better than others and is ultimately a downfall of our own "civilized" society. So, are we really as civilized as you think?

[edit on 18-8-2004 by Jazzerman]

Well first of all US had no rights to lead anybody but the people on US, Iraq and Afghanistan are not colonies of US, the people in the Middle East have been around from the beginning of time.

Now that the area is rich in oil makes a difference and the powerful countries seem necessary to get a hold of it because the countries in the area can not handle the responsibility.

Well I don't blame the Middle East for hating the money hungry powerful nations that wants to control their lands because of the oil.

Because all this problems with the middle east comes to the same conclusion the desire to dominate the oil production in the world.

Originally posted by Jazzerman
However, what makes us so civilized

We don't go around mass murdering and raping
and saying 'convert to being a Muslim or die'

Do many people in this country actually care what
religion someone else is anymore? Well ... perhaps
a few fundamentalists in the deep south, but they
don't go around murdering people saying 'switch
to fundamentalist christian or I'll kill you'

The Ministry says in a statement that it will grant cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and his followers amnesty only after they abandon an armed uprising in Najaf and at least seven other cities.

The statement made no mention of an earlier demand by Sadr that US marines agree to a truce before he would disarm his militia and leave the shrine.

Sadr's dramatic announcement came just hours after Iraq's interim Government threatened to storm the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf to teach Sadr and his Mehdi Army "a lesson they will never forget"

www.abc.net.au...

"at least seven other cities". Um, I don't think so.
Sanc'.