Calls for jihad by al-Sadr supporters in Baghdad скачать в хорошем качестве

Calls for jihad by al-Sadr supporters in Baghdad

(14 May 2004) 1. Various of chanting supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr at al-Hikma mosque in Sadr City area 2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic): Sheikh Abdel-Hadi al-Daraji, senior cleric and supporter of al-Sadr: ''If the occupation troops have entered the city of Najaf, we will declare a call to arms and Jihad (holy war) in the name of Allah, to protect our holy shrines and our key religious figures and our leader Muqtada al-Sadr.'' 3. Al-Sadr followers chanting their support for jihad STORYLINE: Followers of the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr gathered for Friday prayers at the al-Hikma mosque in Sadr City, Baghdad's Shiite stronghold. Speaking at the mosque, senior cleric Abdel-Hadi al-Daraji said that if the occupation troops entered the holy city of Najaf, he and fellow al-Sadr supporters would declare jihad, or holy war. Angry al-Sadr supporters chanted their support for a holy war. American tanks advanced into the centre of the holy city of Najaf earlier in the day and shelled positions held by fighters loyal to al-Sadr, who launched an uprising against the US-led occupation last month. Explosions and gunfire rocked neighbourhoods as civilians scurried for cover. Earlier in the week, forces loyal to al-Sadr fought intense battles with American forces in another holy city, Karbala. The intensifying battles have eclipsed efforts by Iraqi political and tribal leaders to seek a peaceful solution to the confrontation ahead of a planned transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis on June 30. Much of the fighting in Najaf happened in the city's vast cemetery, a maze of footpaths and tombs that offers ample hiding space for militiamen armed with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...