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US troops deploy outside Najaf; helicopter down near Fallujah
Najaf (Iraq), Apr 14: A 2,500-strong US force, backed by tanks and artillery, massed on the outskirts of Najaf yesterday for a showdown with a radical cleric whose militia led a bloody uprising across the south, raising fears of a US assault on the holiest Shiite city in the world.
Najaf (Iraq), Apr 14: A 2,500-strong US force,
backed by tanks and artillery, massed on the outskirts of
Najaf yesterday for a showdown with a radical cleric whose militia
led a bloody uprising across the south, raising fears of a
US assault on the holiest Shiite city in the world.
Iraqi politicians and Ayatollahs tried to negotiate a
solution to avert a US foray into the city, which would
outrage the nation's Shiite majority as well as Shiites
around the world.
``The target is not Najaf. The target is Muqtada Al-Sadr and his militia. We will hunt him down and destroy him. We would prefer it not in Najaf or Karbala. We have very great respect for the shrines, for the Shiites,'' said Brig Gen Mark Kimmitt, Deputy Head of US Military operations in Iraq.
But Al-sadr - holed up in his office in Najaf, shielded not only by armed gunmen but also by the presence of the city's main shrine, only meters away - was defiant, vowing to continue what he called ``a popular revolution'' to end the US occupation of Iraq. Meanwhile, more foreigners were reported abducted, worsening the sudden flare-up of kindappings that erupted last week soon after US-led coalition forces began battles on two fronts, against Sunni insurgents in Fallujah and Al-Sadr's militia in the south.
The kidnappings - seemly random, by gunmen whose identity remains largely a mystery - has chilled foreign aid, media and contracting agencies working in Iraq. An associated press tally shows that 22 were being held hostage, including three Japanese and an American whose captors have threatened to kill them. Thirty-five others had been taken hostage and released.
However, Dan Senor, the spokesman for the US-led administration, said today that about 40 foreign hostages from 12 countries were being held by Iraqi insurgents, and that the FBI is investigating the abductions.
The US deployment at Najaf was the biggest foray by the US Military into the normally peaceful south since last year, aimed at putting down one of two fronts of fighting US-led forces have faced this month, along with the marines siege of the central city of Fallujah.
A truce has largely held in Fallujah since Sunday, despite sporadic clashes. Outside the city, an H-53 helicopter was hit by ground fire and forced to land, injuring three crewmen, then a force that retrieved them was ambushed, killing a marine.
Senor blamed foreign fighters for the insurgency in Fallujah and suggested that Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, the most wanted foreign Islamic militant in Iraq, may be in the city.
Al-Sadr, a 30-year-old firebrand cleric, made a rare appearance outside today, spotted returning to his office from prayers at the nearby Imam Ali shrine, the city's main holy site. His office is less than a stone's throw away from the shrine - meaning any US assault against him there could be explosive if the shrine is damaged.
Bureau Report
``The target is not Najaf. The target is Muqtada Al-Sadr and his militia. We will hunt him down and destroy him. We would prefer it not in Najaf or Karbala. We have very great respect for the shrines, for the Shiites,'' said Brig Gen Mark Kimmitt, Deputy Head of US Military operations in Iraq.
But Al-sadr - holed up in his office in Najaf, shielded not only by armed gunmen but also by the presence of the city's main shrine, only meters away - was defiant, vowing to continue what he called ``a popular revolution'' to end the US occupation of Iraq. Meanwhile, more foreigners were reported abducted, worsening the sudden flare-up of kindappings that erupted last week soon after US-led coalition forces began battles on two fronts, against Sunni insurgents in Fallujah and Al-Sadr's militia in the south.
The kidnappings - seemly random, by gunmen whose identity remains largely a mystery - has chilled foreign aid, media and contracting agencies working in Iraq. An associated press tally shows that 22 were being held hostage, including three Japanese and an American whose captors have threatened to kill them. Thirty-five others had been taken hostage and released.
However, Dan Senor, the spokesman for the US-led administration, said today that about 40 foreign hostages from 12 countries were being held by Iraqi insurgents, and that the FBI is investigating the abductions.
The US deployment at Najaf was the biggest foray by the US Military into the normally peaceful south since last year, aimed at putting down one of two fronts of fighting US-led forces have faced this month, along with the marines siege of the central city of Fallujah.
A truce has largely held in Fallujah since Sunday, despite sporadic clashes. Outside the city, an H-53 helicopter was hit by ground fire and forced to land, injuring three crewmen, then a force that retrieved them was ambushed, killing a marine.
Senor blamed foreign fighters for the insurgency in Fallujah and suggested that Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, the most wanted foreign Islamic militant in Iraq, may be in the city.
Al-Sadr, a 30-year-old firebrand cleric, made a rare appearance outside today, spotted returning to his office from prayers at the nearby Imam Ali shrine, the city's main holy site. His office is less than a stone's throw away from the shrine - meaning any US assault against him there could be explosive if the shrine is damaged.
Bureau Report