Iraqi defense minister threatens of a critical battle in Najaf

Iraq's defense minister Hazem al-Shaalan gave a grace period to the fighters of al-Mahdi army of the Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sader in Najaf for hours in order to hand over their weapons and abide by the will of the government.

Shaalan said following a meeting with the chieftains of Najaf tribes that the decisive battle against the fighters of al-Mahdi army who are fortifying their positions in Wadi al-Salam cemetery and Imam Ali shrine has become close. He stressed that the Iraqi defense forces and police will assume the mission of entering Imam Ali shrine and the attack will be without the participation of the American forces.

The minister asked the tribal chiefs and the city's chieftains to collaborate with the Iraqi police. Despite the American forces having closely circled the fighters of al-Mahdi army in the old city, the US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld ruled out their participation in the attack against the fighters who are fortified inside al-Haidari courtyard.

A violent fighting erupted between the American forces and fighters of al-Mahdi army in Najaf yesterday morning and this resulted in killing several killing and wounded. One official in the city's main hospital said that 29 wounded were admitted to hospital.

The threat to launch " the decisive battle " and frequent attacks yesterday in Najaf came following the failure on Saturday of the Iraqi mediation delegation which is composed of 8 members of the Iraqi national congress in meeting Muqtada al-Sader. The delegation returned back to Baghdad with the hope to stop the fighting to resume the talks.

The delegation carried an initiative proposed by the chairman of the mediation committee at the national congress, Hussein al-Sader, demanding the withdrawal of al-Mahdi army from Imam Ali shrine and handing over the weapons and converting the militias into a political party.

The spokesman for al-Sader office Ahmad al-Sheibani said that the security conditions prevented the meeting, stressing that the talks with the delegation were successful crowned by al-Sader's approval on all proposals made by the mediation committee. Al-Sheibani accused the government of the Prime minister Eyad Allawi of committing political violations.

For his part, member of the mediation committee Rajaa al-Khuzai said that the talks were constructive, noting that it was evident under intensive bombardment that Najaf was exposed to on Tuesday evening that al-Sader abstained from meeting with the delegation so not to disclose his position to the other party.