US occupation soldiers backed by tanks have moved into a stronghold of Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr as violence continued to grip war-shattered Iraq. Iraqi police on Thursday also arrested at least 12 of the anti-occupation cleric’s followers after evicting them from a municipal building in Baghdad’s densely packed al-Sadr city suburb. The cleric’s followers had seized the building last week. At least six US tanks blocked access to the building that was surrounded by armoured military vehicles.
| They weren't holding any hostages? That's unusual... |
Occupation forces are scrutinising al-Sadr’s activities but officials did not elaborate what the actions were. Al-Sadr heads a thousands-strong armed militia called the al-Mahdi army. His groups had been using the municipal building to run its own social services. Iraqi police said they would release the detainees if clerics speaking for al-Sadr came to the police headquarters and acknowledged that they had been acting improperly at the municipality building. Police officials also pointed out that there was no place in Iraq for independent militia groups, such as al-Sadr’s. |