The militia of rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr will end their armed presence in Najaf and Kerbala as soon as it is clear that U.S. troops have withdrawn from the holy Iraqi cities, a top aide to Sadr said on Saturday. “We are prepared to end our armed presence the moment the occupation forces leave the holy cities and give guarantees of that,” Qais al-Khazali told reporters. “There are no guarantees up to now that the occupying forces will not go back to the holy shrines.” On Friday, U.S. troops pulled back from the center of Kerbala after days of heavy fighting with militiamen. U.S. Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt said on Saturday the troops were repositioning and not withdrawing. Full Story
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