Nearby bombardment expected on Najaf, bombarding Falluja
Iraq, Politics, 8/16/2004

The Iraqi ministry of the Interior announced that the American forces at the support of the Iraqi forces will shortly launch a large attack against the militias of the Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sader in order to end the fighting in Najaf.

Iraq's Interim prime minister Eyad Allawi extended a final warning to members of al-Mahdi army which affiliates to al-Sader to dismantle their weapons unconditionally should they seek a peaceful solution in Najaf city.

While the Iraqi ministry of the interior asked in a statement the national security forces not to violate the " holiness of al-Haidari courtyard," news reports said that one man in a sit in inside it was killed as one shelling fell at the outer wall of Imam Ali shrine. Another Iraqi civilian was killed and other 9 injured as a result of the armed operations in the city.

The Iraqi Interim minister of state for governorates affairs Wael Abdul Latif disclosed that the Iraqi police detained three foreigners who were one Egyptian, one Jordanian and one Iranian, while fighting in the lines of al-Mahdi army.

For his part, the spokesman for al-Shaheed al-Sader office in Najaf, Ahmad al-Sheibani, said that al-Mahdi army is ready for any expected bombardment but he also stressed that al-Sader trend is ready to accept any peace initiative proposed by the government -- which he described as hireling to occupation -- in order to stop bloodshed, the blood of the Iraqis and lead to ending the crisis.

At the order of the Iraqi police, most of the Iraqi and foreign journalists left Najaf city. However, some of the media men refused the justifications to leave the city and linked it to the attempts to keep a blind eye on the current events in Najaf.

Meantime, medical sources in al-Falluja to the west of Baghdad said that five Iraqi civilians were killed and other five injured in an American bombardment that targeted one house. Several children were among the wounded.

American jets targeted the military quarters and other quarters in the city for the 4th running day. News reports said that one American helicopter fell in Amereyat Falluja area to the west of Baghdad, but an American military source denied this news.

One American soldier was killed when a bomb went off to the north of Baghdad. One army officer from Ukraine was killed in a land mine in Waset governorate and one Dutch soldier was killed and other injured in clashes between the multi national forces and fighters in southern Iraq.

A new explosion hit on Monday the area surrounding the headquarters of the conference in Baghdad. News reports said quoting the Iraqi police that 10 persons were killed following a series of explosions in the downtown of Baghdad near the place where the national conference is convened. News reports said that clashes took place in Haifa street in Baghdad between groups of gunmen and the American forces.

Previous Stories:
  Israel brings back part of the plane downed over Iraq in 1967   (8/14/2004)
  US vows to fight against obstructers of freedom, democracy   (8/14/2004)
  Truce collapse in Najaf; al-Sader calls for the resignation of the Iraqi government   (8/14/2004)

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