BAGHDAD — U.S. and British forces have recently inflicted heavy casualties on Muqtada Sadr's militia, but the Shiite cleric is bracing for a showdown with a more familiar foe: moderate Shiites who do not support his uprising.
A senior Shiite leader, Sadruddin Qubanchi, allied with the powerful Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, has called for a mass demonstration Friday in the holy city of Najaf to expel Sadr's private army.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Tuesday May 18, 2004 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 62 words Type of Material: Correction
Shiite cleric -- A caption with a photo of a destroyed office in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood in May 11's Section A said supporters of Muqtada Sadr were salvaging photos of the militant Shiite Muslim cleric and his late father. The portrait visible in the foreground, however, was not of either man, and it is not known for certain who was portrayed.
Sadr, who has long been at odds with the Shiite establishment in Najaf, responded with a call of his own. An aide told followers that it was time to intensify their battles with the U.S.-led occupation.
Sadr has apparently calculated that his enemies -- both foreign and domestic -- have come together to force him out.
U.S. officials have been open about their attempts to woo moderate Shiites to defeat Sadr's ragtag Al Mahdi militia.
"We have been meeting with local sheiks, local religious leaders, local businesses," said Brig. Gen. Mark P. Hertling of the 1st Armored Division, which dispatched about 2,500 troops to the Najaf area last month after Sadr's uprising began. "The message from everyone is that no one likes Muqtada. Everyone wants law and order installed again."
Both sides have made a high-stakes gamble by calling on their followers to show their strength. Shiites, who make up 60% of the Iraqi population, risk creating divisions that could undermine their ability to claim political power in the coming months when Iraq gears up for independent elections.
Since early April, Sadr has been stoking an uprising in southern Iraq and in a Baghdad neighborhood known as Sadr City, named for his father, a beloved Shiite cleric who was assassinated by Saddam Hussein's regime.
Sadr's forces suffered heavy losses in recent clashes with U.S. troops in Sadr City and with British forces in the southern cities of Basra and Amarah.
U.S. forces were also able to arrest two of Sadr's top aides on Saturday during an operation in Sadr City.
Those arrests, commanders said, probably triggered the intense fighting Sunday and early Monday in Sadr City.
Groups of armed young men attempted to block off streets and take over police stations -- the same strategy that worked for the militant cleric in Najaf and Kufa.
In the latest attacks, U.S. troops responded with armored vehicles and aircraft support.
