The fake peace
Hours after a deal was struck, armed Mahdi army forces are back in Najaf -- abetted by fresh volunteers.
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By Phillip Robertson
May 28, 2004 | NAJAF, Iraq -- An Orwellian "peace" has descended upon Najaf. On Friday afternoon, the day after a peace agreement with the U.S. forces was announced, armed Mahdi army fighters were occupying all their usual posts. The men had retrieved their rifles and grenade launchers, which they had hidden away when the peace deal was announced, and were carefully watching people move through the city, asking visiting foreigners for their documents. Failure to produce the correct document can lead to immediate arrest.
According to the surprise peace agreement, worked out between the tribal authorities and the opposing sides, the Mahdi army was to permanently put down its weapons and withdraw from the city. In return, the United States promised to honor the cease-fire and suspend operations, pulling back to bases near Najaf. Iraqi police, not U.S. forces or militiamen, were supposed to return and guarantee order.
But as of Friday afternoon, the Mahdi army had made no move to withdraw or lay down its weapons, leaving the most important part of the peace plan in ruins. U.S. tanks usually parked near the police station at the Revolution of 1920 Square could not be seen. Despite much hopeful talk, Najaf has not been returned to civilian authorities: It is still under the aegis of the militants and the secretive Sharia court they use to deliver sentences.
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This reporter and another journalist, filmmaker James Longley, fled Najaf a few hours ago, after being warned that the Mahdi army was preparing to issue arrest warrants for us. A kid not associated with the militia came up to us on Rasul Street and said the men at the Sharia court were trying to work out a way to pick us up as spies. The threat appeared credible and we decided to leave Najaf immediately and drive back to Baghdad
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