Vanhalen 0 Report post Posted August 6, 2004 From bbc.co.uk/news US helicopters have attacked targets in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf in a second day of fighting between US-led coalition forces and Shia militiamen. US tanks and armoured vehicles are said to be moving into the city, where 100 people are reported killed. Columns of thick black smoke have been seen rising from Najaf, and power and telephone lines are reported cut. There have also been heavy clashes in the Sadr City area of Baghdad, where more than 300 have died since Thursday. Twenty-seven Iraqis died in the suburb on Thursday, and a further seven were killed on Friday. The US military reports that 16 of its troops have been wounded there. The militia, loyal to radical cleric Moqtada Sadr, has also been fighting Italian troops in Nasiriya, where four Iraqis are said to have died. A further two Iraqis are reported killed in clashes between US forces and insurgents in the city of Samarra. Mr Sadr had earlier called for a truce to be restored after a day of fighting between his Mehdi Army militia and US troops. The truce was agreed in June after a two-month uprising against the coalition led to violence across central and southern Iraq. The two sides blame each other for starting the latest outbreak of fighting. 'Minaret damaged' The latest clashes in Najaf, home to Shia Islam's holiest shrine, are being described as the worst fighting there since the truce agreement was reached. Sadr has repeatedly called for foreign troops to leave Iraq US helicopters fired rockets at the vast Valley of Peace cemetery, where militiamen loyal to Mr Sadr are based. And a correspondent for French news agency AFP said "dozens" of US tanks and armoured vehicles were entering the city. Medics in Najaf report 10 people dead and 34 wounded in Friday's violence. Thursday saw the US military report seven militiamen and one American soldier killed in Najaf, while a US helicopter was shot down, injuring two. Mr Sadr's aides accused US troops of damaging a minaret of Najaf's holiest shrine, the mausoleum of Imam Ali. They are calling on local Muslims to "take up arms to defend your holy places against the occupiers". Meanwhile, senior Iraqi Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani is flying to London, where he is expected to have medical treatment for a heart condition. Grand Ayatollah Sistani, who lives in Najaf, has been receiving treatment from cardiologists, but his aides said they feared the current situation in the city could hamper his access to proper medical care. 'Tense night' Further south, four civilians were killed and 10 others wounded in overnight fighting in the city of Nasiriya, police said. Italian soldiers exchanged fire with assailants who attacked their positions and a police station, an Italian military spokesman said. "It has been an extremely tense night and we are maintaining maximum alert," Captain Ettore Sarli, chief spokesman for Italian forces in Nasiriya, told Reuters news agency. "An Italian task force has control of the centre of Nasiriya and its bridges, and we are seeking mediation with the militia via the governor of the city." Thursday also saw at least two Mehdi Army members were killed in a 15-minute gunfight with British troops in the southern city of Basra. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Smell the ratings!!! Report post Posted August 6, 2004 what's sad is this is barely even news anymore. "Report: Earth rotates for 17 millionth consecutive day" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest SP-1 Report post Posted August 6, 2004 What's the biggest, scariest military vehicle we've got? Someone figure that out and post pictures. Whatever it is, we need to roll about a hundred of them into Iraq, just to scare the hell out of them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
snuffbox 0 Report post Posted August 6, 2004 Bring 'em on!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest GreatOne Report post Posted August 6, 2004 Rumors have been flying all day about the possibility of darkness in the air tonight.... WILL THERE BE NIGHTFALL? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest SP-1 Report post Posted August 6, 2004 *Weatherman standing outside at dusk* WM: Now, Bob, we may be about to witness one of the greatest astronomical mysteries in history! If predictions are right, sunlight will relfect off of the large rock in orbit over the earth, illuminating it! Will the land be covered in moonlight tonight? NEWS AT ELEVEN~! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
