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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Iraqi cleric calls off militias | Iraqi cleric calls off militias |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has ordered his fighters off the streets of Basra and other cities in an effort to end clashes with security forces. | Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has ordered his fighters off the streets of Basra and other cities in an effort to end clashes with security forces. |
| He said in a statement that his movement wanted the Iraqi people to stop the bloodshed and maintain its independence and stability. | He said in a statement that his movement wanted the Iraqi people to stop the bloodshed and maintain its independence and stability. |
| Previously Mr Sadr had defied a government deadline to hand over weapons in return for cash. | Previously Mr Sadr had defied a government deadline to hand over weapons in return for cash. |
| The fighting has claimed more than 240 lives across the country since Tuesday. | The fighting has claimed more than 240 lives across the country since Tuesday. |
| In Baghdad, the city's military command has extended a round-the-clock curfew for an indefinite period. The curfew had been due to end on Sunday morning. | |
| 'Not one of us' | |
| Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has given militias until 8 April to surrender their weapons in return for cash. | |
| Mr Sadr's statement said: "Because of the religious responsibility, and to stop Iraqi blood being shed, and to maintain the unity of Iraq and to put an end to this sedition that the occupiers and their followers want to spread among the Iraqi people, we call for an end to armed appearances in Basra and all other provinces. | |
| "Anyone carrying a weapon and targeting government institutions will not be one of us." | |
| The cleric also demanded that the government apply the general amnesty law, release detainees, and stop what he called illegal raids. |