Cleric asks Shiites to take up arms

Baghdad: Leading Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged Iraqis on Friday to take up arms against Sunni militants marching on Baghdad, as thousands volunteered to bolster the capital’s defences.

“Citizens who are able to bear arms and fight terrorists, defending their country and their people and their holy places, should volunteer and join the security forces to achieve this holy purpose,” Sistani’s representative announced during the main weekly prayers in the Shiite shrine city of Karbala.

“He who sacrifices for the cause of defending his country and his family and his honour will be a martyr,” he said.