Complex sentence: On June 6,2004, Moqtada al-Sadr issued an announcement directing Mahdi Army to cease operations in Najaf and Kufa, but the fighting in the south continued until June 24,2004.
Split into simpler sentences: On June 6,2004, Moqtada al-Sadr issued an announcement directing Mahdi Army to cease operations in Najaf and Kufa. But the fighting in the south continued until June 24,2004.