By Numir El-Higazi, IOL Correspondent

BAGHDAD, April 5 (IslamOnline.net) – Iraqi Sunnis showed Monday, April 5, great support toward the uprising of followers of Shiite young leader Moqtada Sadr against the U.S.-led occupation forces.

The enthusiasm triggered clashes in the Sunni Al-Aazamya neighborhood of Baghdad between Sunni young men – mostly teenagers – and occupation forces, according to Al-Jazeera.

Standing in front of his house in Al-Shula neighborhood in western Baghdad, Ammar Ahmed, 37, told IslamOnline.net Monday, “I totally support their (Sadr followers) confrontations with the invading occupiers. God Willing, we will join them. If Iraq’s Sunnis and Shiites join forces, occupiers will be taught a tough lesson”.

Al-Shula witnessed fierce clashes between Sadr armed militia  – known as Mahdi Army – and U.S. forces, leaving casualties of soldiers and military vehicles among the latter.

An old man – Sunni – expressed his surprise at what Sadr supporters did, saying, “I never imagined what the Shiites did, especially Sadr followers. They dealt the Americans a heavy casualty toll”.

Another Iraqi – asked not to be named – told IOL, “Mujahideen (the term used to refer to Sunni resistance fighters) that came from the area of Abu Ghrieb (adjacent to Al-Shula) launched a fierce attack using anti-artillery rocket launchers against the U.S. forces surrounding Sadr central office”. He further ascertained that two U.S. military vehicles were completely destroyed.

Al-Jajeera Monday quoted “resistance fighters” in Fallujah (a leading anti-occupation Sunni town under siege by U.S. forces) as saying “they supported the blessed uprising by the Shiites against the occupying Americans”.

In a statement earlier, the Sunni Ulemas (Scholars) Council in Iraq had denounced “the terrible crime” that led to the fall of Iraqi victims and called on all Iraqis “Sunnis and Shiites” to “join forces to expel the occupying forces”.

Clashes still raged Monday among U.S. occupation forces and Iraqi Shiites and Sunnis alike throughout Baghdad and elsewhere.

The situation was further intensified by the U.S. declaration of Sadr as an “outlaw” and its attempts to arrest the firebrand Shiite leader.

A reconciliation attempt by the head of Iraqi police also failed to yield any results as Sadr remained defiant in the face of U.S. calls for him to surrender or face arrest.