Confrontations erupt in al-Hella

Assaults and confrontations in Najaf extended yesterday to al-Hella area to the south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. The police commander in the city Lt. gen. Qeis Hamzeh Abboud said that between 30 and 40 members of al-Mahdi army were killed and three members of the Iraqi police were killed in violent confrontations took place in the city on Friday.

Fighters from al-Mahdi army were deployed in the city carrying RPG shelling and machine guns. News reports in the city said that al-Mahdi supporters controlled two Iraqi police centers.

Polish military officials in Iraq said that 20 Polish soldiers are besieged in one if the police centers in al-Hella city to the south of Baghdad.

A polish spokesman said that the forces were cooperating with the local Iraqi police when forces supporting al-Sader besieged the center. He added that no fire exchange was made and the American helicopters were flying in the area.

In Baghdad, the American army said that two Iraqis were injured following an assault carried out by gunmen near the American embassy in the Green zone in the downtown of Baghdad and attackers used mortars shelling missile weapons near the Interim Iraqi government headquarters.

Meantime, the Iraqi minister of the interior Falah al-Naqib said that the Iraqi police foiled on Thursday and Friday a series of attacks including 6 by booby trapped cars. He explained that an attack was due to be carried out on Thursday by blowing up two fuel tanks each carrying 36,000 liters of fuel where explosives were implanted and were prepared for blowing up.

On the other hand, the American warplanes bombarded Falluja city for the second time in less than one week. Medical sources said that four persons including one child were killed in the military suburb to the east of the city. On Wednesday four persons were killed in an American air bombardment to a suburb in the southern east of the city.