One American killed; 11 Iraqis killed in clashes with US forces

The US occupation forces announced they killed 11 Iraqi resistance fighters while trying to implant an ambush for a military patrol near Balad town to the north of Baghdad, in a clash which is the largest with Iraqi resistance since the collapse of Saddam Hussein regime, it came just hours following an attack by the resistance by mortars against an American base in the same area resulted in wounding 18 American soldiers.

This coincided with the killing of one American soldier targeted by the fire of an Iraqi sniper who was guarding the national museum in Baghdad on Thursday evening while another soldier was wounded in an explosion in Baghdad yesterday, according to the American army.

Meantime, and in his Friday's sermon in al-Najaf, the chairman of the Higher Council for the Islamic Revolution, Muhammad Baker al-Hakim, said that the US has to play a role in supporting the formation of a new Iraqi government supposed to accelerate the end of the American- British occupation of Iraq.

Al-Hakim added, while the worshippers were chanting slogans against Saddam Hussein and the USA, that the UN has to join the talks carried out by the occupation leaders with Iraqi political and religious leaders in addition to civilian groups.

Al-Hakim explained that "the role for the UN means that the Iraqi question will not be in the hands of the occupation forces, rather will be an international issue under the supervision of the international community."

On the other hand, the American occupation army released the Shiite man of religion, Ali Abdul Karim Madani, whose detention on Thursday led to demonstrations that included thousands of his citizens. Sheikh Madani made no statements after his release.