Two British men have joined the Mehdi Army of radical cleric Moqtada al Sadr in fighting coalition forces in Iraq. The two Iraqi-born men travelled to the holy Shia city of Najaf, the centre of the al-Sadr uprising, to take part in the battle against US forces besieging the city. The two Londoners, an uncle and nephew with just two years between them, explained their motivation to The Times.
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Interviewed by the newspaper in the shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf, they insisted that they were ready to die alongside their fellow Muslims in the country in which they were born. The elder Briton told the newspaper: "It is our country and there are invaders here. We have taken the side of Moqtada al Sadr because we believe it is the right side." The tall, bearded, Arabic-speaking 23-year-old, was asked why he came to fight. He replied: "It is evil against the angels." His 21-year-old nephew, added: "Bush said you are either with us or against us. We had to decide whether to be with him or against him, so we are against him, obviously."
Obviously. |