Iraq Notebook
Shiite militia retreat from Najaf, Kufa

SAUL LOEB / KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS Michael Berg, center, the father of Nicholas Berg, the American beheaded in Iraq last month, carries a banner in an anti-war march from Lafayette Park near the White House to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's house in Washington, D.C., yesterday. Protesters organized the rally to urge the U.S. to pull out of the war in Iraq.

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BAGHDAD, Iraq — Fighters loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shiite cleric who fashioned an army from the discontented populace of Iraq's slums, began to withdraw yesterday from the centers of Najaf and Kufa, where they have fought with U.S. forces since April.

In an early indication a truce between U.S. troops and a Shiite militia may be taking hold, the armed followers of al-Sadr had cleared out of many parts of Najaf and appeared to be making preparations to leave altogether, Shiite leaders and American officials said.

The Shiite leaders said U.S. forces, who encircled Najaf in recent weeks, had also cleared out of the city center and areas near the Imam Ali Shrine, one of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam.

"The people of Najaf are walking the streets, the cars are moving on every avenue, the Iraqi police have moved back in," said Adnan Ali, a senior official with the Dawa Party, whose leaders were directly involved in the negotiations. "This is a good step forward."

If it sticks, the new truce would appear to end, at least for now, a dangerous confrontation between al-Sadr and the Americans, whose use of armed force so near the holy shrines in Najaf and Karbala alienated Shiites across Iraq, even those who did not care for al-Sadr's anti-American brand of Shiite Islam.

The deal falls short of U.S. demands that al-Sadr submit to arrest and disband his militia, conditions to be resolved later in talks between al-Sadr and the Shiite clerical hierarchy.

Shiite cleric al-Sadr meets with spiritual leader al-Sistani

NAJAF, Iraq — Anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr met in Najaf yesterday with Iraq's most influential spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani, for the first time since al-Sadr launched an uprising against coalition forces in April.

Al-Sadr briefed al-Sistani on the plan announced Thursday to pull back Shiite militiamen and U.S. forces from Shia Islam's holiest shrines, said Ahmed al-Shibani, a representative of al-Sadr's office.

"Al-Sistani has thanked (al-Sadr) for his efforts ... to peacefully resolve this crisis," al-Shibani said. "The agreement is moving toward success and is on the right path."
 
Al-Sadr has been eager to win the support of al-Sistani, an older, more moderate cleric who commands broad respect among Iraq's Shiites.

Al-Sistani for his part has been eager to avoid a U.S. assault on Najaf and to prevent internal rifts among the Shiite majority, which is hoping to take power in national elections expected by the end of January.

Anti-war protesters urge U.S. to withdraw from Iraq

WASHINGTON — Hundreds of anti-war protesters rallied from the White House to the West Coast yesterday, calling for an end to the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq and the immediate withdrawal of American troops.

Protesters chanting "Bring the troops home" gathered in a park across the street from the White House. President Bush was in Europe.

Michael Berg, whose son, Nicholas, was beheaded by Islamic militants in Iraq, invoked the words of Martin Luther King Jr., saying, "The people of America and the world have told me that they have a dream and a vision ... and that that dream is a dream of peace, a vision of all nations living together in harmony and in love."

A handful of counter-demonstrators traded shouts with the anti-war crowd.

"We feel they're traitors to our country," said Leonard Milnes, 18, of Silver Spring, Md. "You support your armed forces no matter what the cause."

Anti-war demonstrations were held by hundreds in Los Angeles and San Francisco, organized by International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism).

"We're here to say there will be no empire in our name," actor Danny Glover told the crowd outside the federal building in Los Angeles, saying he meant to send a message both to Bush and the presumed Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.

Group of Seven leaders discuss alleviating Iraq's debt

OTTAWA — Leaders of the Group of Seven nations and Russia want to decide how much of Iraq's estimated $120 billion debt should be forgiven when they meet this week in Sea Island, Ga., Canadian Finance Minister Ralph Goodale said yesterday.

"There is a view — at least on the part of some European countries — that something in the order of 60 to 65 percent would be appropriate. There are some other countries, including the United States, that would argue for a substantially higher number in the 90 to 95 percent range," Goodale said

World Bank President James Wolfensohn has said at least two-thirds of Iraq's debt would have to be forgiven to rebuild the country properly.

Brother of informant who led U.S. to Saddam's sons killed

MOSUL, Iraq — Salah al-Zidani, brother of the informant who reportedly led U.S. forces to Saddam Hussein's sons, was killed yesterday by gunmen in Mosul, witnesses and hospital officials said.

U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed who turned in Odai and Qusai Hussein, but many people in Mosul have identified Nawaf al-Zidani as the man who collected the $30 million reward — $15 million for each son.

Nawaf al-Zidani has not been seen since Saddam's sons were killed in July.

British author among targets of Iranian suicide attackers

TEHRAN, Iran — Thousands of Iranians have signed up for suicide attacks on Israel and U.S.-led forces in Iraq, a recruiting group said yesterday.

Mohammad Ali Samadi, a spokesman for the Committee for the Commemoration of Martyrs of the Global Islamic Campaign, said the group would need approval from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Shiite Muslim Iran, to launch the attacks.