One Polish soldier, one Bulgarian killed in clashes in Kerbalaa
Iraq, Military, 4/24/2004

The Bulgarian ministry of defense said that one soldier of its troops was killed in Karbala as he was hit in a fire bullet in his head.

Meantime, news reports in Karbala quoted the spokesman for the Polish forces that one Polish soldier was killed during the violent clashes that erupted between the occupation forces and members of al-Mahdi army of the Shiite Leader Muqtada al-Sader.

The news added that various types of light weapons were used in the clashes which resulted in casualties in the lines of the two sides.

A source in the Iraqi police in Karbala said that two armored vehicles were destroyed in the clashes in which the Bulgarian and Polish forces took place.

Iraqi medical sources said that ten persons were injured in the clashes. They are five fighters from al-Sader party and one Iranian -- who was visiting the holy shrines -- and four Iraqi civilians.

The multinational contingent which is led by Poland and includes soldiers from Bulgaria and Lithuania and Latvia said that a convoy for the coalition forces was attacked yesterday near the building of Karbala headquarters and the convoy retaliated and asked reinforcements to ensure security in the place.

News reports said that the confrontations took place following the occupation planes dropping of paper slips calling on the Shiite fighters to hand over their weapons and withdraw from public buildings.

Muqtada al-Sader threatened of carrying out of what he described as "martyrdom operations" against the American occupation forces if these forces enter the holy Shiite city. In yesterday's Friday's sermon, al-Sader called on his followers to continue resistance against the occupation forces.

In al-Najaf, news reports said that the joint central leadership center -- which includes forces from Spain, Salvador and the US and situated between Kofa and al-Najaf -- was exposed on Thursday evening to mortars shelling.

In the besieged al-Falujja, the occupation forces gave the gunmen in the city a grace period for several days in order to surrender what they do have of heavy weapons, and warned it will resume military operations there in case they refuse to hand over these weapons.

Meanwhile, Imam and preacher of Um al-Qura mosque in Baghdad, Ahmad Abdul Ghafour al-Samare', warned against a general uprising in Iraq if Faluja will be attacked again. He said " I have an urgent message to the Americans: you have violated the red lines, be aware not to repeat what had happened again." He continued "shedding the blood of the Iraqis again is not permitted. If you attack again, the whole of Iraq will be Faluja from its north to its south and from its east to its west."

On the other hand, the Iraqi health minister Khudeir Abbas said that 271 persons were killed and other 800 wounded since the beginning of besieging Faluja. Medical sources in the hospitals said earlier that number of victims arrived is more than 500 killing.

Meanwhile the Iraqi Red Crescent started to establish a camp in al-Karradah quarters in Baghdad to provide shelter for displaced people from Faluja, who evacuated their city of fears of the fighting taking place between the occupation forces which are besieging the city and the gunmen inside it.

Previous Stories:
  Occupation warns Faluja: handing over weapons within days, otherwise the attack   (4/23/2004)
  Tehran prepares a file against Saddam   (4/23/2004)
  Bloody day in Iraq; American army accuses Iraqi police of supporting resistance   (4/23/2004)
  An attack at the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, clashes in Kofa   (4/20/2004)
  An attack at the headquarters of the Spanish forces in al-Najaf   (4/16/2004)
  Nine Iraqis were killed in Falujja   (4/14/2004)

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