Sadr says sectarian war must be averted

On March 13, Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on his followers not to respond with violence to the explosions in Sadr City [Baghdad suburb] that caused hundreds of casualties among Shias. He accused the occupation forces of not taking adequate measures to prevent such attacks, and blamed the US for hindering the formation of a national unity government. At a press conference in Najaf, Sadr maintained that he had not ordered his al-Mahdi army to attack locations associated with [al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab] al-Zarqawi, out of concern that this could spark civil war. He called on Sunni leaders to condemn the attacks, in particular the Sadr City blasts.