By IRNA,
Baghdad : Deaths and devastation have got dangerous dimension in Iraq by the US air strikes on residential areas of Sadr City and calls for the United Nations to undertake Iraq mandate.
Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr held the US forces responsible for carrying out air strikes on residential areas of Sadr City.
Despite his critical statement against the American “occupiers” read out at Friday prayers, he said that the unilateral ceasefire is still in force.
“When we threatened to declare an open war until the liberation, we meant war against the occupier,” al-Sadr said in his letter.
“There is no war between us and our Iraqi brothers — no matter what their nationality, race or sect. The blood of Iraqis are forbidden on you.”
“I direct my speech to all government security forces and others, and all the religious and political forces, if this open war is between us and the occupier, you should not interfere in the favor of the occupier,” the letter said.
“We want to liberate you and your lands from the occupiers, so our government would be a full sovereign government.”
Despite the threat, al-Sadr has a freeze on Mehdi Army military activities, said Saleh al-Ageili, a spokesman for Sadr’s parliamentary bloc.
Al-Sadr said earlier this month that if he called off the freeze, he would issue a separate statement, al-Ageili said.
Al-Sadr praised members of his Mehdi Army for obeying the freeze in his letter Friday.
“The enemy is waiting for the chance to attack you,” al-Sadr said.
“Damn the occupier and his work, which raised the hand of violence and death against your children, women, elders and your scholars.” “And you — still patient — you showed the clear, white face of al-Sadr and his family, and you have been the people of peace, the people of Islam.”
Al-Sadr said he would not accept the long-term agreement which the US and Iraqi governments are crafting to replace the current UN mandate for multi-national forces in Iraq.
The UN mandate expires in December.
“There should be no long-term security agreement between the government and occupier, no matter how hard they fight us and no matter how much of our blood is spilled,” he said.
“We will not accept to divide Iraq and to steal its wealth.” Al-Sadr’s supporters have accused Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government of not holding up its end of the cease-fire agreement, which includes freeing non-convicted prisoners from the Sadrist movement and halting what they call “illegal” raids on the cleric’s followers.
Al-Sadr’s message came after at least 11 people were killed and 36 others were wounded in US overnight air strikes on Sadr City.