Five Iraqis, Two of al-Sader's supporters, police kidnapped in Najaf

A group calling itself "the joint forces to eliminate spying and hirelings" threatened to kill four Iraqi policemen said it holds in Najaf city to the south of Baghdad.

In a statement, it accused the hostages of harassing the Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sader and his followers; the group called for halting these practices and issuing a statement to this effect by the tribes and organizations in Najaf within 72 hours.

Meantime, the Iraqi ministry of health said that two Iraqis were killed and other three injured in clashes renewed between the supporters of the Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sader and the American forces in al-Sader city in Baghdad.

Other three Iraqis were kidnapped and 10 injured of al-Sader supporters by the Iraqi national guards bullets in Baghdad.

On Friday which coincided the four running day of the air campaign carried out by the American planes against Falujja city under the pretext of targeting shelters for the followers of Abu Musa'ab al-Zarqawi, one Iraqi man was killed.

This, however, came hours after a similar air bombardment against the nearby Tal Afer area near Musil city to the north of Iraq and resulted -- according to the hospital of the city -- in killing 45 persons and wounding other 80. But the American forces said that the raid resulted in killing 57 of what it described as foreign fighters.

The Turkish government called on the American forces to halt its military operations in Tal Afer as soon as possible. The statement of the Turkish foreign ministry came after the army issued a statement in which it expressed its concern over these operations and the victims there.

Nationalists in Turkey consider Tal Afer as a headquarters for the Turkmans. Several Turkish national parties criticized the silence of the government towards what is taking place in that region.