On development in al-Najaf

News reports in Najaf said that the American forces withdrew today ( Saturday) morning from certain areas it had besieged while artillery bombardment were heard from al-Salam cemetery where fighters of al-Mahdi army of the Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sader are fortifying.

This American withdrawal enabled the passerby from getting into and outside the city without restrictions to the old quarters. The fighters of al-Mahdi army stressed their control on the Haidari platform and its surroundings.

Simultaneously, al-Sader's assistant Ahmad al-Sheibani said that the negotiations over the Haidari ( Alawi) courtyard, are proceeding, expressing hope to reach a peaceful settlement for the crisis with the participation of the Shiite clergy Ali al-Seistani. A-Sheibani denied handing over the keys of the Haidari courtyard by al-Mahdi army in the city to the representatives of al-Seistani. He also denied the access of the Iraqi police to Imam Ali shrine.

In the adjoining al-Koufa, news reports said that violent confrontations took place today at dawn between the American forces and al-Mahdi army resulted in killing one man and injuring 13 including civilians.