Karbala Investigation

Iraqi Gov't Orders Karbala Investigation
By BASSEM MROUE - from the AP

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered an investigation Sunday into last week's deadly clashes surrounding a Shiite religious celebration in Karbala, promising that it would be conducted without bias.

The announcement came only hours after anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for the government to investigate the violence, which many have blamed on his Mahdi Army militia.

The firebrand cleric's followers threatened to take unspecified measures if the government refused the demand, and criticized recent raids against the Mahdi Army by U.S. and Iraqi forces.

A statement from al-Maliki's office said an investigative committee was being formed to look into the Karbala bloodshed, which saw more than 50 people killed and hundreds injured.

It did not detail the makeup of the committee, but said that it would perform its duties "neutrally and professionally without being biased to any side."

No specific time frame for the investigation was given, but the statement said it would be concluded "as soon as possible."

Al-Sadr, who has denied that the Mahdi Army provoked the confrontation, announced a surprise six-month suspension of the militia's activities last Wednesday following the fighting in Karbala in an apparent bid to deflect criticism. On Sunday, he threatened to take matters into his own hands if the government didn't open an investigation.

"After the procrastination we had seen in the past two days, we warn the Iraqi government and the executive authorities in Karbala if they don't open a fair, neutral and quick investigation, the Sadr office will be obliged to take unspecified measures," spokesman Sheik Salah al-Obeidi said at a news conference in Najaf. He refused to elaborate on what the measures may be.