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Iraqi Shiite Leaders Call Truce

Sides that clashed in Karbala seek to curb bloodshed

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 6, 2007 3:02 PM CDT

(Newser) – Two Shiite leaders made peace in Iraq today in hope of ending their bitter feud and curbing bloodshed, Reuters reports. Moqtada Al-Sadr and Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim, leaders of parliament's main Shiite blocs, agreed to form committees and solve problems together around the country. Fighting between the factions has intensified this year in areas ignored by US forces.

At least 52 were killed when the sides clashed in Karbala in August; Sadr reacted by shutting down his Mehdi army, reportedly to weed out corruption. Both factions are hopeful the treaty will work: “This deal could be seen as the first step towards preventing clashes and fighting between the two groups,” one Shiite official said.

An armed Iraqi man attends a funeral in the holy city of Karbala, Iraq, in this Friday, July 27, 2007, file photo. Shiite sheiks are showing interest in joining forces with government-backed forces against... (Associated Press)

Family members grieve for their relative who died in clashes that broke out during religious celebrations in the city of Karbala, in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of... (Associated Press)

IRAQ-POLITICS-SADR-WITHDRAWAL (Getty Images)

IRAQ-POLITICS-SADR (Getty Images)

IRAQ-UNREST-US-SADR-QAEDA (Getty Images)

Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Islamic Council in Iraq adjusts his spectacles during an exclusive interview with the Associated Press, in this Thursday, Jan. 19, 2006 file photo, in Baghdad,... (Associated Press)

Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, Iraqi Shiite leader, listens to President Bush, not shown, speak in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington in this Dec. 4, 2006 file photo. Al-Hakim, the leader of the most... (Associated Press)

Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Islamic Council in Iraq is seen delivering a speech during the anniversary of the death of his brother, Shiite leader Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, in this... (Associated Press)

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Iraqi Shiite Leaders Call Truce

Sides that clashed in Karbala seek to curb bloodshed

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Split Deepens Between Iraqi Shiites

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Iraqi Shiite Leaders Call Truce

Sides that clashed in Karbala seek to curb bloodshed

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OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Iraq • Shiite • Mahdi Army • truce • Abdul Aziz Al Hakim • Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council • radical cleric • Muqtada al-Sadr

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Split Deepens Between Iraqi Shiites

Intra-sect feuds reign between Sadr loyalists and government bodies

Muqtada al-Sadr: We Reject America

Cleric gives fiery speech after ending 4-year exile

Iraqi Shiites Ditch Maliki in New Coalition

Group favors a government more closely allied with Iran

Al-Sadr Tells Mahdi Army to Stand Down

Cleric orders six-month suspension of activity to reorganize

Bomb Kills 2nd Iraqi Governor

Top provincial official slain in his SUV, police blame Mahdi Army

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Newser By Users

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