BAGHDAD, Iraq - Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Thursday called for an end to the armed clashes between his followers and supporters of a rival Shiite group, saying Muslims should not be fighting one another.
“I call upon all the believers to save the blood of the Muslims and to return to their homes,” al-Sadr told reporters in his home in the holy Shiite city of Najaf.
The clashes broke out Wednesday when al-Sadr’s offices in Najaf were attacked and torched by rival groups. The fighting, which quickly spread to other urban centers in south-central Iraq, pointed to the deep rifts within the Shiite community — 60 percent of the population — which won most seats in parliament during the Jan. 30 election, which Sunnis boycotted.
“I call upon all the believers to save the blood of the Muslims and to return to their homes,” al-Sadr told reporters in his home in the holy Shiite city of Najaf.
The clashes broke out Wednesday when al-Sadr’s offices in Najaf were attacked and torched by rival groups. The fighting, which quickly spread to other urban centers in south-central Iraq, pointed to the deep rifts within the Shiite community — 60 percent of the population — which won most seats in parliament during the Jan. 30 election, which Sunnis boycotted.
