Al-Sadr's men out of shrine
20/08/2004 16:20  - (SA)  

Iraqis march for al-Sadr Al-Sadr to hand over stronghold Iraq fighting: 77 dead Sadr: Release journo now Explosions shake Najaf Sadr gets 'final' warning 'We want to end the crisis' Sadr: I will disarm forces

Baghdad, Iraq - Militiamen loyal to rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Friday removed their weapons from the revered Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf as a 2-week-old uprising centered on the holy site appeared to be drawing to an end.

Militants from al-Sadr's Mahdi Army had been using the shrine, one of the holiest in Shiite Islam, as a hideout while they attacked US and Iraqi forces here.

Earlier on Friday they offered to give control of the shrine to Shiite religious authorities, who accepted the offer in principle.

By Friday evening, militants had withdrawn all their weapons from the shrine compound, where civilians and unarmed militia members mingled in peace.

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