Top Shiite Cleric Returns to Iraq, Looking to Solve Najaf
630723
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's aides called for a march to Najaf to end nearly three weeks of fighting.
237306
Hoping to end weeks of fighting in Najaf, Iraq&#39;s top Shiite cleric unexpectedly returned home from Britain on Wednesday armed with a new peace initiative and a call for Iraqis across the country to march on the holy city to demand an
51966
U.S. tanks and troops rolled back into the center of Najaf and battled with Shiite militants Sunday, reigniting violence in the holy city just as delegates in Baghdad opened a conference meant to be a landmark in the country's movement toward democracy.
577236
NAJAF, Iraq - Iraq's top Shiite cleric unexpectedly returned to Iraq from Britain on Wednesday armed with a new peace initiative and a call for Iraqis across the country to march on the holy city to demand an end to weeks of fighting in Najaf.    But a mortar attack on the main mosque in the nearby city of Kufa killed 25 people and wounded 60 others Thursday, hospital officials and witnesses said, a blow to hopes that the crisis could be resolved peacefully...
55241
NAJAF, Iraq - Rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr agreed Thursday to a peace deal presented by top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini al-Sistani to end three weeks of fighting in the holy city of Najaf, according to a top aide to al-Sistani.    Al-Sistani, the most influential cleric among Iraq's Shiite majority, reached the deal in direct talks with al-Sadr in the evening, only hours after making a dramatic return to Najaf...
661361
The Shiite cleric seeks an Islam-friendly Iraq, but not a theocracy.
191090
NAJAF, Iraq A delegation of Iraqis arrived here Tuesday to try to persuade a rebellious Shiite cleric and his militia to evacuate a shrine in this holy city and end fighting with US and Iraqi government forces.
608452
Moqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric who has been involved in a two-week battle with US forces, has offered to leave a holy shrine in Najaf.
390325
NAJAF, Iraq Iraq&#39;s most powerful Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and the rebel cleric Moktada al-Sadr met Thursday and forged an agreement aimed at ending the fighting that has engulfed this city for the past three weeks, aides to the
68890
NAJAF, Iraq - Hoping to end weeks of fighting in Najaf, Iraq's top Shiite cleric unexpectedly returned home from Britain on Wednesday armed with a new peace initiative and a call for Iraqis across the country to march on the holy city to demand an end to the fighting.    Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini Al-Sistani, who wields enormous influence among Shiite Iraqis, had previously declined to get involved in resolving the violent conflicts roiling the nation, and it was unclear why he suddenly changed his mind...
376117
NAJAF, Iraq - Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, made a dramatic return to Najaf on Thursday and swiftly won agreement from a rebel cleric and the government to end three weeks of fighting between his militia and U.S.-Iraqi forces.    The renegade Muqtada al-Sadr accepted the proposal in a face-to-face meeting Thursday night with the 75-year-old al-Sistani...
290050
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's top Shiite cleric, arrived in Najaf today hours after a mortar barrage hit a mosque in Kufa, killing at least 27 people.
297470
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq&#39;s foremost Shiite cleric, wants US-led military forces to leave Najaf and nearby Kufa as a condition for establishing peace with cleric Moqtada al
385982
Iraq&#39;s Shiite spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, left the southern Iraqi city of Basra early on Thursday on his way to the troubled central city of Najaf, where he hopes to bring an end to fighting between US forces and supporters of rebel
356832
Tuesday: A Shiite insurgency appeared to be weakening as Iraqi forces moved to within 200 yards of the Imam Ali Shrine. Wednesday: Iraq&#39;s top Shiite cleric returned home with a peace initiative demanding an end to the fighting in Najaf.
39212
NAJAF, Iraq - Guns were largely silent in Najaf for the first time in weeks and thousands of Iraqis thronged the revered Imam Ali shrine Friday after Iraq's top Shiite cleric made a dramatic return to this holy city and won agreement from a rebel cleric and the government to end the fighting between his militia and U.S.-Iraqi forces.    The renegade Muqtada al-Sadr accepted the proposal in a face-to-face meeting Thursday night with the 75-year-old Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini al-Sistani...
505206
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani returned after surgery, raising hopes that the rebellion led by Moktada al-Sadr would be resolved.