Drone_pilot
12-08-04, 12:36
Fighting has intensified in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf as US marines vowed to defeat a week-long uprising by supporters of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr.
Tanks backed by helicopter gunships moved to seal off the Imam Ali Shrine in the centre of the city on Thursday.
US aircraft and artillery pounded a nearby cemetery where militiamen have taken up positions in recent days.
American forces also targeted militias in Kut, east of Najaf, where at least 72 people are reported killed.
US and Iraqi forces have been battling Mr Sadr's Mehdi militia in Najaf - about 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad - for the past seven days.
The latest clashes broke out at around 0700 (0300 GMT) on Thursday, as US forces headed towards the Valley of Peace cemetery.
BBC Read More (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3557446.stm)
Tanks backed by helicopter gunships moved to seal off the Imam Ali Shrine in the centre of the city on Thursday.
US aircraft and artillery pounded a nearby cemetery where militiamen have taken up positions in recent days.
American forces also targeted militias in Kut, east of Najaf, where at least 72 people are reported killed.
US and Iraqi forces have been battling Mr Sadr's Mehdi militia in Najaf - about 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad - for the past seven days.
The latest clashes broke out at around 0700 (0300 GMT) on Thursday, as US forces headed towards the Valley of Peace cemetery.
BBC Read More (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3557446.stm)