Fighters loyal to al-Sadr agree to hand control of Najaf shrine
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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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Scores of militiamen loyal to rebellious cleric Moqtada Sadr put down their weapons in Najaf Friday as thousands of Iraqis streamed into the once-besieged shrine of Imam Ali following an agreement brokered overnight by the top Shiite Muslim religious figure in Iraq.
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NAJAF, Iraq  - Fighters loyal to rebel cleric  Moqtada al-Sadr were firmly in control of Najaf's Imam Ali  mosque on Saturday, defying efforts by Iraq's U.S.-backed  government to end a radical Shi'ite rebellion.
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NAJAF, Iraq - Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr accepted a peace plan Wednesday that would disarm his militia and remove them from their hideout in a revered shrine, raising hopes of resolving a crisis that has angered many of Iraq's majority Shiites and threatened to undermine the fledgling interim government.    But al-Sadr has made contradictory statements in the past, and aides to the cleric said he still wanted to negotiate details of the deal to end two weeks of fighting between his forces and U.S.-led troops...
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NAJAF, Iraq  - Fighters loyal to Iraqi cleric  Moqtada al-Sadr retained their grip on the Imam Ali shrine in  Najaf on Saturday, dampening hopes that talks with religious  authorities would quickly end a two-week siege.
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NAJAF, Iraq : Militiamen loyal to Moqtada Sadr were still holding Najaf&#39;s Imam Ali mosque Sunday, as smouldering violence and differences between Shiite leaders threatened to scupper efforts to end a weeks-long stand-off.
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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.
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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...
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NAJAF, Iraq - Militiamen loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr surrendered the sacred shrine of Imam Ali on Friday and then surrendered weapons as well, bringing a largely peaceful end to a ferocious three-week battle with US forces that challenged the
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Radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his fighters Thursday to hand control of a revered Najaf shrine to top Shiite religious authorities, hours after U.S. forces bombed militant positions and Iraq's prime minister made a "final call" for the cleric's militia to surrender.
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NAJAF, Aug. 27. - Militants filed out of the revered Imam Ali Shrine and turned its keys over to representatives of Iraqâs top Shiâite cleric today following a peace agreement to end three weeks of fighting in this holy city.
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NAJAF, Iraq - With U.S. forces bombing militant positions and gunbattles raging, radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his fighters to hand control of a revered Najaf shrine to top Shiite religious authorities but refused to disband his militia...
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BAGHDAD : Shiite militia leader Moqtada Sadr has agreed to disarm and quit a holy shrine in Najaf as demanded by Iraq&#39;s key national conference, one of the organisers of the meeting said.
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Militants loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said yesterday they had handed over the keys to a revered Muslim shrine in the holy city of Najaf to top Shiite religious leaders, a move that marks a crucial step towards ending two weeks of fighting.
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NAJAF: Fighters loyal to rebel Shi&#39;ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr were firmly in control of the sacred Imam Ali mosque in Najaf and surrounding streets, a Reuters correspondent said.
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Calm reigned in Najaf Friday, as Shi&#39;ite militants abandoned the holy Imam Ali shrine in accordance with a peace deal brokered by Iraq&#39;s top Shi&#39;ite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
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Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Moqtada al-Sadr, the Shiite Muslim cleric leading an insurgency in Najaf, is preparing to hand over control of the city&#39;s holy shrine to Iraqi religious authorities after a night of bombing by US forces, Reuters reported.