Heeding the Call Of The Cleric

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The volunteer guerrillas like Ali come from all backgrounds: traders, butchers, farmers, students and a great many unemployed. Most are ready to die for al-Sadr because they say he is the only one who dares to stand up for Islam against the Americans. Al-Sadr's revered father, an uncle and two brothers were murdered by Saddam's regime. But in the past few months, al-Sadr has developed his own voice as the champion of millions of poor Shi'ites who feel dispossessed and disillusioned a year into the occupation. Since the U.S. came, says Ali, the people have had "no services, no electricity, no water, no work."

As U.S. troops push into the center of Najaf later on Friday, a group of militiamen starts to dance in a circle, chanting with growing intensity. Later, a proud fighter reports to his comrades, "We destroyed two tanks." Though the U.S. military has reported no casualties in the area, the insurgents spread their version of reality. The Americans sacrificed dozens of men to recover the hulks, the fighter claims, and explains to journalists why nothing remains from the site of the battle: "They brought along a huge machine that sucked up all the parts, so there is nothing left to see."

At a short distance, in the calm of the city's central Imam Ali shrine, a senior al-Sadr aide discusses the prospects for peace with the U.S. "I frankly doubt we can come to an agreement," says Sheik Faad al-Turfi. "They came here as occupiers. They kill Iraqis, rape our women and steal our riches." With an air of exhaustion, he also dismisses the claims of al-Sadr's Shi'ite critics, like Sheik Bhafer al-Qaisi, a representative of Ayatullah Sistani's who told TIME last week that al-Sadr was purposely trying to provoke an attack on the Shi'ite shrines to trigger a nationwide revolt. "We want to defend the shrines," says al-Turfi, "not destroy them."

Outside, toward evening, the fighting has stopped, and the gunmen gather to swap war stories. One slightly injured fighter stands in the back alley that leads to al-Sadr's Najaf headquarters. "A mortar round burst right by us, but no one was seriously injured, thanks be to God," he says. As he speaks, a crowd carrying a coffin draped in an Iraqi flag marches past the shrine. The first "martyr" of the day is being buried.