The Sadr movement says it is under siege by security forces in its Baghdad bastion and warns that its members are ready to take up arms again.
The head of the Sadrists in eastern Baghdad district, Salman al-Fraiji, noted that three million inhabitants of Sadr City are presently under siege. They are prevented from leaving and from reaching food supplies. "We will obey the orders of Moqtada al-Sadr but if the violence against the Iraqis continues, if the blood of Iraqis continues to be spilled, the ceasefire will definitely be lifted," he also stated.
Following fierce clashes between Mahdi Army fighters and Iraqi forces, Residents of Sadr City have been frequently targeted by the US military snipers and bombarded by American warplanes. |