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Al Jazeera (English)
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Iraqi Civilian Deaths ... caused by Bush's unprovoked war

 

Sacred Shrine in Najaf Damaged - Fighting Rages Outside
(CNN, 19 August 2004)
Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi issued a "final call" Thursday for cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's forces to disarm and vacate the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf, as sounds of fighting were heard outside the Shiite Muslim holy site. . . . Iraqi officials have threatened to "liberate" the mosque with a military offensive if al-Sadr and his forces don't leave and disarm. . . . sounds of intense fighting erupted Thursday outside the mosque. . . . CNN's Kianne Sadeq, who is inside the compound with other journalists at the invitation of al-Sadr's Mehdi militia, reported persistent sounds of mortars, gunfire and many explosions, and devastation to the streets, homes and businesses around the mosque compound. . . . Two of the mosque's minarets have been damaged in recent fighting, and al-Sadr loyalists said a clock in one of the towers caught fire, Sadeq reported. The mosque is one of the holiest shrines in Shiite Islam. . . . Allawi said that if al-Sadr wishes to become a leader in Iraq, he should partake in the political process and run as a candidate in the January election for a transitional national assembly. . . . An al-Sadr spokesman said Thursday the cleric had not agreed to negotiate with the Iraqi interim government, but only with the Iraqi National Conference. . . . The 1,000-member conference met this week to choose a 100-person interim body that will advise and oversee the newly installed Iraqi interim government. . . . Arabic-language television news networks were reporting pitched battles in Najaf. . . . Al-Arabiya reported that U.S. troops were attacking from three different locations. The fiercest battle was coming from what is known as the "Najaf Sea," or Abu al-Kheir Street, about 1,000 meters (1,093 feet) behind the Imam Ali shrine, the network said. . . . Al-Jazeera, talking to sources on the phone, reported that U.S. planes were targeting the Doha Hotel and fighting around the holy sites. . . . Elsewhere in Najaf, police and a Health Ministry official said four Iraqis were killed and 14 wounded when three mortar rounds hit a recruitment center inside the main police compound. . . . Along with the fighters, al-Sadr spokesmen and a few women and children are in the compound. . . . Al-Sadr's people deny that al-Sadr is inside the mosque compound. However, he is thought to be in the Najaf area. . . . Interim Iraqi Minister of State Kasim Daoud said that if the cleric does not respond to the government demands in the next few hours, military action will be taken. . . . At a joint news conference with Najaf Gov. Adnan al-Zufri, Daoud outlined the Iraqi government's conditions for al-Sadr to disarm. He said Iraqi forces have special intelligence that will allow them to get al-Sadr without destroying the shrine. . . . Daoud called on al-Sadr and his militia to hand over all of their weapons, and he noted that the radical cleric will not be allowed to have his own court system.

posted by Lorenzo 12:32 PM