Revered Shiite Cleric to Lead Najaf March

NPR | By Ivan Watson

Published August 25, 2004 at 12:00 AM EDT

As an impasse continues at the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, the leading Shiite cleric in Iraq -- Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini al-Sistani -- prepares to lead a mass march on the city Thursday. He's seeking an end to fighting between U.S. and Iraqi forces and militia loyal to cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. NPR's Ivan Watson reports.

Ivan Watson

Ivan Watson is currently based in Istanbul, Turkey. Following the 9-11 terrorist attacks, he has served as one of NPR's foreign "firemen," shuttling to and from hotspots around the Middle East and Central Asia.

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