An umbrella group of Shi'ite Muslim religious leaders in Kuwait has lambasted US-led forces for entering Najaf and Kerbala, demanding they pull out from the holy cities in Iraq.
An umbrella group of Shi'ite Muslim religious leaders in Kuwait has lambasted
US-led forces for entering the holy cities of Najaf and Kerbala and demanded they pull out immediately.
The call comes as the US made its deepest incursions into the cities this week in pursuit of forces loyal to militant cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. There have been reports of casualties today among his militia.
The statement from the Congregation of Muslim Shia Olama in Kuwait, which includes an aide to top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, said: "We strongly demand that these forces put out the fire of strife raging in holy Najaf and Kerbala by pulling out from the two holy shrines.
"The Shi'ites of the world did not expect this hasty and wrong behaviour from the coalition forces in Iraq by entering the holy sites."
The group also demanded Moqtada al-Sadr militia pull out from the holy shrines.
There were similar demands yesterday from Ayotollah al-Sistani aide, Ayatollah Mohammad Baqer al-Mohri, who said he was concerned for his leader's life.
Today at least two members of al-Sadr's militia were killed and seven wounded in fighting near the shrines of Imam Hussein and Imam Abbas in Kerbala, some of the most sacred ground in Shi'ite Islam.
In nearby Najaf, after heavy fighting yesterday, at least two US tanks took up positions outside the main police station near Imam Ali mosque.