Unidentified group claims responsibility for Churches explosions; confrontations in Najaf
Iraq, Politics, 8/3/2004

One soldier from the American marines was killed in confrontations in al-Anbar governorate to the west of Baghdad today. A statement by the American army said that the soldier had a fatal hit in a battle while he was making what was described as operations to establish security and stability, giving no more details.

By the killing of this soldier number of American soldiers killed in Iraq since the invasion led by the US in March increased to 680, according to statistics prepared by the US defense department. Meantime, one American military spokesman denied the besiege of the house of the Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sader after a contingent for the American marines was attacked by machine guns and missile shellings.

News reporrs in al-Najaf said that members of al-Mahdi army were deployed in al-Zahraa quarters where the house of Muqtada al-Sader is situated after the withdrawal of the American and Iraqi forces from the place.

One Iraqi woman was killed and other 7 civilians were injured in the violent clashes between al-Mahdi army and the American and Iraqi forces. A spokesman for al-Sader office said that six members of al-Mahdi amry were injured in the clashes, stressing that Muqtada al-Sader was not at his house then.

Commenting on the American denial over besieging al-Sader house, the spokesman for al-Sader office said that American and Iraqi forces penetrated into the security barriers besieging al-Sader house in al-Najaf and confrontations took place with the security members there.

Meantime, an unidentified group calling itself " the planning and follow up commission in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attacks which targted on Sunday several churches in Naghdad and al-Musil.

In a statement attributed to this group issued at an Islamic website the group considered that these attacks are an answer to what it called the " crusaders war" launched by the US against Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan." The statement accused the US of working to " Baptize and Christianize" Muslims through the " establishment of missionaries and printining and circulating deviate books among Muslims." The Iraqi deputy prime minister Barham Saleh described the executors of the explosions as the enemies of the God, the people and the country. He threatened that the interim government will chase them.

Previous Stories:
  Collapse of negotiations to release the hostages in Iraq   (8/2/2004)
  Allawi meets the Amir of Kuwait   (8/2/2004)
  Algeria, Bangladesh will not send force to Iraq   (8/2/2004)

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