September 5, 2003	Friday	Rajab 7, 1424

CAIRO: The US-led forces could be behind “some terror acts” perpetrated in Iraq in order to spread chaos to justify occupation, anti-US firebrand Shia leader Moqtada Sadr charged in press comments on Thursday.

“It may be that some terror acts that happened in Iraq could have come from coalition forces,” he said in an interview with Egyptian state-owned newspaper Al Ahram.

“Because if security is established in Iraq, occupation (forces) would have to leave. America is the first to profit from instability, and it is spreading terror and chaos to remain,” he said.

But he added that he would not go as far as declaring jihad against the US because it had stronger forces, and said Iraqis should start with “peaceful resistance”.

“Declaring jihad would be harmful because the forces of the two are not even. Issuing such a declaration now could mean that not one Shia or Muslim would remain in Iraq.”

He charged the United States with seeking to divide the Shias “to prevent them from having a clear position”.

“America is confronting them (the Shias) with things akin to weapons, such as sedition, lies and making problems to divide their leaders,” he said.

Asked whether it would have been better for ousted president Saddam Hussein to remain in power to ensure security, he said: “It should not be allowed that when a small Satan leaves, a bigger Satan replaces him. The error is not with Saddam’s ousting, the error is that what came after him is more tyrannical and terrorist.”

He called on Egypt and other Arab states not to send troops to Iraq “because that would strengthen the position of the occupier”.—AFP