Iraqi forces evict Sadr’s militia from illegally occupied building in Naja

[hightime]

NAJAF, Iraq - Iraq authorities have forcibly removed members of a hardline Shiite militia from a building they were illegally occupying, the US military said Friday.


Members of the militia linked to Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr were given a deadline by the governor of Diwaniyah province to vacate the building in this holy city about 160 kilometers (100 miles) from Baghdad. When they did not comply, the governor ordered Iraqi National Guard and police forces to evict them, said Maj. Neal O’Brien of the 1st Infantry Division.

Troops from the Task Force 1st Battalion 14th Infantry provided security for the area from the outside.

“Iraq security forces conducted a breach of the building and secured the building and its contents,” O’Brien said. “There were no casualties.”

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