[ppi] [ppiindia] U.S. Troops Fight Cleric Loyalists in Kufa

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   Sudah cukup peperangan, mengapa di antara dari mereka masih=20
memikirkan Teroris dan menggunakan pembalasdendaman? sebaiknya mereka=20
lebih memikirkan aspirasi masyarakat Irak secara damai dan mengetahui=20
tujuan di Irak.

wassalam,

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U.S. Troops Fight Cleric Loyalists in Kufa=20

KUFA, Iraq - U.S. soldiers and fighters loyal to a radical Shiite=20
cleric exchanged gunfire here on Saturday, raising new fears about=20
whether a plan to end a seven-week standoff here will hold.=20

Explosions could be heard near Kufa's main mosque, where members of=20
Muqtada al-Sadr's militia had taken up positions. Militia members=20
accused U.S. troops of provoking the gunfight by approaching the city=20
center.=20

Coalition officials said they were attacked by rocket-propelled=20
grenades and they responded by killing the attackers.=20

The main road leading to Kufa was blocked by tires and concrete=20
blocks, forcing cars to take back roads into the city. Members of al-
Sadr's militia, the al-Mahdi Army, set up checkpoints and roamed the=20
streets around the mosque carrying Kalashnikovs and rocket-propelled=20
grenades.=20

Najaf's governor, Adnan al-Zurufi, complained that al-Sadr was=20
showing no signs of honoring the agreement announced by Shiite=20
leaders earlier this week to end fighting in the Najaf and Kufa=20
areas.=20

"Unfortunately, there have been no positive initiatives from the=20
office of Mr. Muqtada al-Sadr so far," al-Zurufi said. "Armed men are=20
filling the streets and there have been number of attacks on state=20
employees in Kufa."=20

Three Iraqis were reported injured in the exchanges on Saturday. At=20
Kufa's Furat al-Awsat hospital, Ali Moussa, 22, was among those=20
treated for shrapnel wounds. His head was wrapped in a bandage and=20
his black T-shirt was soaked in blood.=20

"I was walking down the street and they started attacking people," he=20
said of the Americans. "They say there is a truce. Where is this=20
truce?"=20

In a sign of the tension, al-Sadr failed to appear at a Kufa mosque=20
where he has preached every Friday =97 the main Muslim day of worship =97=20
since the rebellion began in early April. Aides said his absence=20
Friday was due to security concerns.=20

Attacks on Friday wounded two U.S. soldiers. In a separate incident,=20
mortar shells had also rained down on the main American base in=20
Najaf.=20

Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, coalition deputy chief of operations,=20
reported five attacks against coalition forces in Kufa on Friday and=20
said they "would appear to be violations" of the deal.=20

Coalition spokesman Dan Senor said in Baghdad that occupation=20
authorities still hoped the cease-fire agreement would hold.=20
Coalition authorities sent al-Zurufi a letter outlining their support=20
for the Shiite initiative.=20

Also in Baghdad, the Iraqi Governing Council on Friday chose one of=20
its members, Iyad Allawi, to become prime minister in the new=20
government taking power June 30.=20

The announcement was a surprise to the United Nations (news - web=20
sites), which has been leading the process of choosing the=20
government =97 hopefully by the end of the month. U.N. envoy Lakhdar=20
Brahimi has been in Baghdad for weeks consulting with Iraqis about=20
the makeup of the government.=20

Brahimi "respects" the decision and is willing to work with Allawi to=20
pick the rest of the government, U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said in=20
New York.=20

Eckhard said Brahimi would consult with Allawi to consider others for=20
government posts to gather "the widest possible support of the Iraqi=20
people."=20

"But in the end, it's the Governing Council and the (U.S.-led=20
coalition) that will make the decision," Eckhard.=20

The coalition said it was not a party to the Thursday agreement to=20
end the Najaf and Kufa fighting but would suspend offensive=20
operations. However, U.S. officials said they would=20
continue "security patrols," some of which the militias consider=20
provocative.=20

Despite the agreement, nine mortar shells exploded early Friday on=20
the main U.S. camp in the Najaf area. CNN, which is embedded at the=20
camp, said U.S. soldiers arrested four suspected militiamen, who=20
claimed they were unaware of the order to stop attacks.=20

The U.S. command in Baghdad confirmed that two soldiers were injured=20
when Shiite gunmen fired on their Humvee on a Najaf street but=20
provided no further details.=20

The truce deal announced Thursday provides the Americans a way out of=20
a standoff that threatened to alienate Iraq (news - web sites)'s=20
Shiites =97 the largest religious community. But U.S. demands for al-
Sadr's arrest and disbanding his militia were unmet =97 and the deal=20
opens the door for a political role for a figure that President Bush=20
(news - web sites) had branded a "thug."=20

The deal also allows for discussions of al-Sadr's future, talks that=20
will certainly stretch past the June 30 handover. The arrest warrant=20
for al-Sadr, however, has not officially been suspended.=20



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