Gov't Gives Najaf Militants 'Final Call'
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NAJAF, Iraq - Prime Minister Ayad Allawi issued a "final call" Thursday to Shiite insurgents to disarm and withdraw from a revered shrine after his government threatened a massive onslaught by Iraqi forces. As the peace deal for Najaf unraveled, militants bombarded a police station with mortar rounds, killing seven police and injuring 31 others...
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NAJAF, Iraq - A rebel cleric's militiamen kept their guns outside a holy site Friday after issuing a surprise offer to give up control of the Imam Ali Shrine to Shiite Muslim religious leaders, but negotiators wrangled into the night over getting the militants out of the compound.    The removal of weapons and pledge to hand over keys to religious authorities was seen as a big step toward a resolution of the two-week faceoff in Najaf that has killed dozens of people and wounded hundreds in fighting between Muqtada al-Sadr's militia and a joint U.S.-Iraq force...
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NAJAF, Iraq - Militants loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr kept their hold on a revered shrine, and clashes flared in Najaf on Saturday, raising fears that a resolution to the crisis in the holy city could collapse amid bickering between Shiite leaders.    An unofficial mediator pleaded with al-Sadr to disarm his militants, pull them out of the shrine and disband his militia immediately." We are in a race with time," said Hussein al-Sadr, a distant relative of the cleric...
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Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged his supporters converging on Najaf on Thursday not to enter the battered holy city until he arrived, a senior aide said.
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Attempts to negotiate an end to a bloody standoff at a Pakistani mosque failed to make progress on Monday, a day after authorities gave Islamist militants inside a "final warning" to surrender.
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NAJAF, Iraq - Iraq&#39;s interim prime minister is backing off his earlier threats about a massive assault on a Shiite shrine in Najaf.
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Iraq&#39;s Defense Minister Tuesday issued an ultimatum to followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr holding the Imam Ali Mosque -- get out or be wiped out.
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Amid intermittent clashes in Najaf, talks to end a standoff between US-led forces and militiaman loyal to Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr appear to stall.
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NAJAF, Iraq - Followers loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said Friday they were prepared to hand control of the revered Imam Ali Shrine to top Shiite religious authorities, and Iraq's interim prime minister said he would not storm the holy site.    The moves came after a day and night of fighting in Najaf that killed 77 people and wounded 70 others, as al-Sadr militiamen mortared a police station and U.S...
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Iraqi political and religious leaders prepared to go to the holy city of Najaf on Tuesday in a last-ditch bid to persuade a radical Shi'ite cleric to end a rebellion that has killed hundreds and rattled oil markets.
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The deadly showdown between U.S. troops and Iraqi militants in Najaf dominated Iraq's national conference Monday, with tribal and religious leaders deciding to send 60 delegates to the holy city to persuade a radical Shiite cleric to call off his fighters.
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Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's aides called for a march to Najaf to end nearly three weeks of fighting.
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BAGHDAD, Iraq  _ A delegation of Iraqis meant to help negotiate an end to an uprising in Najaf was forced to delay its mission Tuesday when it could not get a military escort for the dangerous journey to meet the radical cleric at the center of the ...
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NAJAF, Iraq - Militants loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr kept their hold on a revered shrine as clashes flared in Najaf on Sunday, raising fears a resolution to the crisis in the holy city could collapse amid bickering between Shiite leaders.    An unofficial mediator and distant relative of the cleric pleaded with al-Sadr to disarm his militants, pull them out of the shrine and disband his militia immediately...
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An Iraqi delegation is going to Najaf to try to end  a stand-off between US-led forces and Shia militants.
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BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's National Conference refused Wednesday to send a second delegation to the holy city of Najaf to negotiate an end to fighting between U.S. troops and loyalists of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a day after he rebuffed their demand for a meeting...
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Rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has called on his fighters to lay down arms and leave the holy city of Najaf. It follows a deal brokered by Iraq&#39;s top Shiite cleric that ended weeks of violence.