Sadr belittles election, demands US pullout

"This is a message from Sayed Moqtada. I call on all religious and political powers that pushed towards the elections and took part in them to issue an official statement calling for a timetable for the withdrawal of the occupation forces from Iraq," Sayed Hashim Abu Ragheef told faithful gathered for Friday prayers in the Shia city of Kufa.

The firebrand cleric gave notice that he would no longer hold his tongue about political developments in Iraq after keeping quiet for months, according to a statement Ragheef read from Sadr to thousands of worshippers.

"I stood aside for the elections and did not stand against them as I did not want to show disobedience toward the Marjaiyah (senior clerics). I did not join these elections so that I wouldn't be one of the West's pawns.

"The West is so proud that they have held the elections but I would ask: who is responsible for the blood that day?" he asked.

Sadr was referring to the death of at least 36 civilians in attacks on Sunday as Iraqis went to the polls in the first free elections since the downfall of Saddam Hussein after the US-led invasion of March 2003.

Millions of Shias, who make up about 60 percent of the population, voted in an affirmation of the political process championed by the towering Shia religious figure, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

Sadr's Mehdi Army militia battled US troops for seven months last year before laying their arms down in October.

Reuters adds: The number of attacks on US and Iraqi security forces has declined significantly in the five days since millions of Iraqis braved threats to vote, the US military said yesterday, but the insurgency remains dangerous.

There were 125 attacks on US and coalition forces on election day, and nearly as many in the days running up to Sunday's vote, but since then attacks have dropped sharply.

"The attacks were down significantly in the first three days and we have reason to believe that's been the case over the past two days, although we don't have figures yet," said Lieutenant-Colonel Steve Boylan, a spokesman in Baghdad.

"There's no way of knowing if this is going to be a continuing trend -- we can't foretell what the insurgency is going to do -- and we don't want to raise expectations."

Underscoring the danger, police sources said an Italian journalist was kidnapped in Baghdad Friday as she conducted interviews on the street.