Sadr: now in same league as arafat, obl and friends

apparently sadr didn't get the memo on being 'completely desperate' and threatening the US....it doesn't work. from a weak position, this guy is basically pandering to the US liberals who will use this new threat (suicide attacks against the US) to say "its time to leave!" what does he really expect the US to do? back off? say its okay to incite violence against the US and occupation?

the only thing stopping the US right now is respect for the shia who revere najaf. i think this is probably a mistake thinking that pandering to the intolerance of the shia (who can't allow infidels into najaf) with tolerance (respecting their intolerance) will really work. time to go balls out and get this guy.

weak horse? meet strong horse. btw: he doesn't care about your sensitivities.

Cleric vows suicide bombings if U.S. strikes
His militia clashes with troops in Karbala, Bulgarian killed

NBC News and news services
Updated: 10:50 a.m. ET April 23, 2004KUFA, Iraq - The Shiite Muslim cleric wanted on murder charges threatened on Friday to launch suicide attacks if U.S. troops attack him and his forces in the holy city of Najaf.

Muqtada al-Sadr was speaking during the Friday prayers sermon in Kufa, another Shiite Muslim holy city a few miles from Najaf. The area is mostly controlled by his Al-Mahdi Army militia, whose members have clashed with U.S. troops several times since their uprising began on April 4.

In the holy city of Karbala, al-Sadr militiamen clashed with Polish-led coalition troops Friday, killing a Bulgarian soldier, military officials said.

Al-Sadr, speaking to thousands of worshippers, said that "some of the Mujahideen brothers have told me they want to carry out martyrdom attacks but I am postponing this. When we are forced to do so and when our city and holy sites are attacked, we will all be timebombs in the face of the enemy.”

He condemned suicide bombings Wednesday in the southern city of Basra that killed 73 people because they targeted Iraqi police and civilians.

U.S. forces are deployed outside Najaf, but their mission to capture or kill al-Sadr has effectively been put on hold while negotiators try to resolve the standoff. U.S. commanders say they have no intention for the time being of entering Najaf, the holiest Shiite city.

Al-Sadr is wanted in the April 2003 killing of a rival cleric.

Fallujah front
On the other major front in Iraq, a U.S. general on Thursday warned that insurgents in Fallujah had “days, not weeks,” to hand over their heavy weapons or face the possibility of a renewed U.S. offensive on the Iraqi city west of Baghdad. FREE VIDEO