Iraq militant group urges Sunnis to fight Shi'ites

DUBAI, Nov 30 (Reuters) An Iraqi militant group called on its Sunni Muslim followers in Baghdad to wage holy war against Shi'ite militias in a ''battle of destiny'', said a statement posted on the Internet today.

''Baghdad is your (Sunnis) city. Do not leave it for the strangers who intend to expel you; it is a battle of destiny now, to be or not to be,'' the Islamic Army in Iraq said in the statement posted on a main Islamist Web site.

The group, which has claimed several attacks on US troops in the country and the kidnapping of some foreigners, had previously limited calls for jihad against occupation forces in Iraq and did not mention sectarian fighting.

A spate of sectarian violence has killed hundreds of Iraqis in the past nine months.

Powerful Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has urged Sunnis to stop killing his followers while Sunni leaders call on Shi'ites to dissolve ''Death Squads'' blamed for killings of Sunnis.

REUTERS AKJ KP1222