Iraq's Prime Minister Issues Final Warning to Rebel Cleric Sadr

Iraq's Prime Minister Ayad Allawi on Thursday issued a final warning to rebel cleric Moktada al-Sadr, urging him to disarm and vacate the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, where his followers have been battling American troops for weeks. The warning was accompanied by a major intensification of American military attacks on targets in Najaf's Old City, including bombing strikes and an artillery barrage that lasted deep into the night. American troops and armor also pushed deep into the Baghdad slum of Sadr City, scattering militiamen who have controlled the area for months.

Key Takeaways:

• Prime Minister Ayad Allawi issued a final warning to cleric Moktada al-Sadr to disarm and vacate the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf.
• The warning was accompanied by a major intensification of American military attacks on targets in Najaf's Old City, including bombing strikes and an artillery barrage.
• American troops and armor pushed deep into the Baghdad slum of Sadr City, scattering militiamen who have controlled the area for months.
• The Iraqi government is considering a military assault on the shrine, with some officials suggesting that the decision has already been made.
• Cleric Sadr issued conflicting signals, with some of his aides rejecting the terms set by a delegation of Iraqi clerics and politicians, while others claimed that he was committed to fulfilling the delegation's terms.
• The Mahdi Army, Sadr's militia force, has been accused of kidnapping and beheading foreigners, including a 36-year-old American journalist, Micah Garen.
• The American military's attempt to increase pressure on Sadr appeared to be focused on bombing and shelling rebel strongholds within a few hundred yards of the Sadr stronghold in the Imam Ali Mosque.
• American troops and Sadr militiamen traded volleys of gunfire in the Old City, before the American military launched a major attack on the city, killing seven police officers and wounding at least two dozen others.

Statistics:

• 7 police officers were killed in the attack on the police station in Najaf.
• At least 2 dozen police officers were wounded in the attack.
• 160,000 troops are part of the Multinational Force, the American-led alliance that underpins the provisional government.
• 5,000 years: The age of the Sumerian civilization, to which archaeological sites near Nasiriya refer to.

Sources:

• "Reporters at the scene", The New York Times.
• "Agence France-Presse from Najaf", quoting a new letter said to have been written by Mr. Sadr to his followers.
• "Sheik Ahmed al-Shaibani", an aide to Mr. Sadr, in Najaf on Thursday.
• "Ali Smeisim", a cleric loyal to Mr. Sadr, in Najaf on Thursday.
• "Associated Press", quoting Sheik Aws al-Khafaji, a top Sadr aide.
• "Captain Warren Haggray", a chaplain at the Marine base in Najaf.