Sadr orders his militia not to kill Iraqis

[ECH1969]

Radical Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Friday he would denounce any members of his own militia who are found to have taken part in a spate of death squad killings against Iraqis.

"There are rumours that there are groups or persons from the Mehdi Army are attacking the Iraqi people with no right to do so," Sadr said in a statement bearing his signature distributed by his office in the holy city of Najaf.

Sadr's admitted that some of his supporters might have made "personal decisions" to carry out attacks, and warned: "Criminals should not take righteousness as a shield."

He said Mehdi Army fighters who carried out murders should make use of the holy month of Ramadan "to repent", warning that if they do not do so he will no longer seek to protect them from the consequences.

"I ask them to do this because I love them, not because I need them" he said.

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=17841

[Kagemusha]

1. Better headline: Sadr TRIES to order his militia

whether he will succeed, is in doubt.

[ECH1969]

3. true

[Selatius]

2. All Iraqis are protected...except Sunnis. They are not Iraqis.

I have a hunch this is how it is. His documents say, "all are protected," but somebody forgot the footnote stating Sunnis aren't Iraqis maybe?