PESHAWAR, April 3: Local Ulema (Islamic scholars) and tribal leaders on Thursday reiterated calls for waging a jihad against the US-led forces in Iraq as the war raged for the 15th day, witnesses said.

“Now it is time that all Muslims should start jihad against America,” said Maulana Shamsur Rehman of the Jamaat Ahle Sunnat (JAS).

“Jihad has become obligatory on every Muslim following the US attack on Iraq,” Mr Rehman told a gathering of some 350 people in Peshawar.

“Let’s go to battlefield against the aggressor,” he said and demanded the government should allow them to go to Iraq.

Some 400 people at a separate rally in Peshawar asked the government to modify its foreign policy towards the US and openly support Iraq.

“America wants to destroy all Muslim countries one after another, so let us go and fight in the way of Allah (God),” Maulana Rahmatullah of Tanzeem-i-Ulma said.

In the tribal areas straddling the Afghan border some 250 tribesmen attended a special session of a jirga to express solidarity with Iraqi people.

“Pakistan should take solid steps to stop war in Iraq,” Inayatullah Afridi, a tribal leader said.

Another rally of about 300 in the town of Pabbi, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) southeast of Peshawar, asked the Muslim countries to stop exporting oil to the US.

In Peshawar city, political parties have set up relief camps to collect donations of food, clothing and money for Iraqis.

Several small protest rallies were held in other cities including Karachi, Lahore and Multan.

In nearby Rawalpindi city, JAS launched a ten-vehicle convoy carrying anti-war protesters on a 1,000 kilometres (625 miles) journey to the southern end of the country over the next three days.—AFP