Sistani's sudden London visit raised many questions

BAGHDAD, August 7 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – As fierce fighting continued Saturday, August 7, for the third day running between US troops and fighters loyal to firebrand Shiite scholar Moqtada Al-Sadr, Iraq's highest-ranking Shiite scholar, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, headed to London for "heart treatment".

London-based daily Al-Hayat quoted Saturday an unnamed Iraqi official as implying that the US forces were seeking to eradicate Sadr forces in Najaf once and for all, in the absence of Sistani.

"Sistani flew to London on a short notice as he wanted to be away from Najaf at this time that witnesses decisive fighting between the US troops and the Iraqi police on one hand, and the Shiite Muslim militiamen on the other hand.

"Sistani holds Sadr and his supporters accountable for the chaos plaguing Najaf and preferred to leave the city during this period."

"His decision could be due to information he obtained on the tendency of the US troops and the Iraqi government to end the battle in Najaf once and for all," he added.

Meanwhile, an aide to Sistani told British daily the Guardian that Ayatollah, who has no history of heart problems, would not go straight to hospital but would probably spend a couple of days seeing doctors. His plans had not, however, been finalized.

The 73-year-old religious leader, who wields enormous influence in Iraq, was reportedly taken ill a few days ago, the paper said.

"Acting on the advice of medical doctors, Grand Ayatollah Sistani has suddenly cancelled all his daily engagements in Najaf. The medical team following His Eminence's health said that due to his heart condition he needs to rest," Sistani's office has said Thursday.

It added that his doctors feared he might not receive "appropriate medical treatment under the present circumstances" in Iraq.

Suspicious Visit

This gave rise to questions in Baghdad Friday, August 6, about the reason for his sudden departure and the urgency of his need for medical treatment.

But a source at Al-Khoei Foundation, a London-based Shiite organization, suggested, according to the Guardian, that if the ayatollah had been looking for a pretext to leave Najaf he would not have chosen Britain, which is politically embarrassing for him.

"His people made it known that he wanted to come to Britain," a Foreign Office spokesman said. "It's essentially a private medical visit. There will be no political talks."

Ayatollah Sistani, who lives modestly in Najaf, spent long periods under house arrest when Saddam Hussein was in power, and generally kept out of politics, the paper said.

"Today he is regarded as a moderating influence among Iraq's Shiite majority, though radical elements criticize him for not taking a stronger stand against the US-led occupation."

Although he has made no secret of his dislike for Sadr, Sistani played a leading role earlier this year in arranging a ceasefire that halted fighting between Sadr's militia and the American troops, as per the daily.

Fighting Goes On

Fighting in Najaf has caused mass destruction

Meanwhile, Najaf residents began fleeing their homes, as US planes circled overhead with the sound of automatic gunfire, mortars and rockets boomed across the deserted center of Najaf, said an Agence France Presse (AFP) correspondent.

Pummeled in a first uprising by Sadr in the spring and caught up again in the latest round of ground fighting and US bombardments, Iraqi citizens decided to leave their home town and resort to other safer places.

The US military has said it has killed 300 insurgents in the city alone. Combined tolls from medics put the death toll at 67, with more than 200 wounded in fighting that has spread to Baghdad and other southern Shiite cities.

Five US marines have been killed and 12 wounded in Najaf province, on top of another US soldier killed in an ambush in western Baghdad, according to AFP.

But doctors at Najaf's general Hakim hospital expect their death toll of 19 to go up. No ambulances or paramedics have been able to get into the center where the worst fighting has been concentrated.

Multinational forces have surrounded the city, leaving only the south side open to a trail of battered residents seeking refuge elsewhere.