Iraq Cleric Urges Fighters to Drop Arms
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NAJAF, Iraq - Firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his fighters to lay down their arms and leave Najaf and neighboring Kufa Friday after agreeing to a peace deal brokered by Iraq's top spiritual leader to end three weeks of bloody fighting.    Al-Sadr issued the order in a statement to his Mahdi Army militia that also was broadcast through loudspeakers at the revered Imam Ali Shrine, which militants have used as a stronghold and refuge throughout their standoff with a combined U.S.-Iraqi force...
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BAGHDAD : A key step toward peace in Iraq was taken when the militia of Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr agreed to lay down their arms in the capital, as US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said more troops may be needed to ensure safe elections in January.
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Fighters loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Friday removed weapons from the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf in a bid aimed at ending the 2-week-old standoff centered on the holy site.
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BAGHDAD, Iraq - Rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr wants his followers to end their uprising against U.S. and Iraqi forces while he considers forming a political movement, senior al-Sadr officials said Monday...
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BAGHDAD, Iraq Aug. 30, 2004 - Rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for his followers across Iraq to end fighting against US and Iraqi forces and is considering joining the political process, an al-Sadr aide said Monday.
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A powerful Shi'ite Muslim leader in Iraq called on Friday for U.S.-backed, mainly Sunni neighborhood patrols to be more tightly curbed under government control.
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A top aide to Iraq's rebel Shi'ite  leader Muqtada al-Sadr Monday called on the Mehdi Army militia  to cease fire across Iraq and said Sadr was preparing to  announce plans for a major political program.
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Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has threatened to lift by the end of the week a six-month cease-fire widely credited with helping reduce violence in Iraq, officials said Wednesday.
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Radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has ordered heads of his Mehdi Army militia to leave Iraq and asked the government to arrest "outlaws" under a U.S.- backed crackdown, Iraq's president said on Thursday.
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BAGHDAD, May 25 -- The influential Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr emerged publicly on Friday for the first time in months, calling for U.S. forces to leave Iraq and vowing to defend Sunnis and Christians. His appearance, and remarks, seemed part of an ongoing tactical shift by Sadr to recast himself...
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Iraq's powerful Shi'ite Muslim leader, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, called on Friday for curbs on U.S.-backed neighborhood patrol units, which are mainly Sunni, saying weapons should only be in the hands of the government.
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Radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al Sadr has threatened to lift by the end of the week a six-month cease-fire widely credited with helping reduce violence in Iraq
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KUFA, Iraq  - Powerful anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr appeared in public for the first time in months on Friday and again demanded that U.S. troops get out of Iraq.
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NAJAF, Iraq  - An Iraqi peace delegation has urged a radical Shi&#39;ite cleric to call off his uprising in the city of Najaf, where US troops have been pounding militia positions near the country&#39;s holiest Islamic sites.
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Iraq&#39;s Defence Ministry has ordered Shiite militiamen in Najaf to immediately lay down their weapons and leave a holy shrine.
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NAJAF, Iraq  - Firebrand Iraqi cleric Moqtada  al-Sadr is facing his "final hours" before a military strike  unless he meets demands that include renouncing violence and  handing in weapons, Iraq's government said on Thursday.
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NAJAF, Iraq  - Iraq&#39;s Defence Ministry has ordered Shi&#39;ite militiamen in Najaf to immediately lay down their weapons and leave a holy shrine in the city.