NAJAF, Iraq – A Shiite insurgency appeared to be weakening Tuesday night as Iraqi forces moved to within 200 yards of the revered Imam Ali Shrine and Iraq’s defense minister once again demanded fighters loyal to a Muslim cleric surrender or face a violent raid.
The militant force, which once waged fierce battles with U.S. troops throughout the Old City and Najaf’s vast cemetery, seemed considerably diminished in number and less aggressive after days of U.S. airstrikes and relentless artillery pounding.
Hundreds of insurgents have been spotted leaving Najaf in recent days, witnesses said. Those who remained appeared to have pulled back to the area around the shrine, where the fighting Tuesday was concentrated, U.S. troops said.
Police say Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has not been seen in public for days, has fled the city.
His aides, however, vigorously denied that, saying al-Sadr was in a secret hide-out here. Regardless, the fiery cleric’s absence from the battlefield may have withered his followers’ morale.
U.S. warplanes bombed the Old City late Tuesday for the third night in a row, witnesses reported. Huge blasts rumbled throughout the city for about 10 minutes followed by gunbattles and smaller explosions.
Earlier in the day, fierce fighting broke out near the shrine compound, with rockets launched from U.S. helicopters kicking up clouds of smoke and debris. Bradley fighting vehicles patrolling the nearly deserted, bullet-scarred streets attacked militants, who responded with mortar fire.
“We are under constant enemy small-arms, mortar, and RPG attack,” said U.S. Lt. Chris Kent, whose unit was about 300 yards from the compound. “U.S. forces are consolidating positions to allow for future operations. Morale is very high.”
Both the Iraqi government and the U.S. military say no military moves are being made without the approval of interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.
Any raid on the shrine, the holiest Shiite site in the country, risked igniting a massive Shiite rebellion throughout Iraq against the fledgling interim government, already battling a persistent and bloody Sunni insurgency.
In Baghdad, assailants bombed the convoys of two government ministers in separate attacks that killed five people and a suicide bomber officials said.
In other violence, clashes between British forces and al-Sadr militants in the southern city of Amarah killed eight people and injured 18 others, said Dr. Saad Hemood, of Zahrawi General Hospital.
Also Tuesday, a militant group calling itself The Islamic Army in Iraq said it had kidnapped Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni and could not guarantee his safety unless Italy announced within 48 hours it would withdraw its 3,000 troops, according to a video and statement sent to Arab TV.
Associated Press
A child rides his bike as smoke rises near the Ali Imam shrine in Najaf, Iraq, on Tuesday. U.S. and Iraqi forces closed in on the shrine, where militants are holed up.
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