8.09.2004
Iraq Cleric Vows Fight to Death Vs. U.S.
NAJAF, Iraq - A radical Shiite cleric vowed to fight to the death as his loyalists battled U.S. troops for a fifth straight day Monday, and bombings in Sunni regions outside Baghdad - including a failed attempt to assassinate a deputy governor - killed at least 10 Iraqis.
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Explosions and gunfire were heard throughout the holy Shiite city of Najaf, south of the capital, the main scene of fighting between U.S. troops and the militiamen. As U.S. helicopters hovered overhead, troops tried to drive militiamen from a vast cemetery they have used as a base, and a U.S. tank rolled within 400 yards of Najaf's holiest site.
Seven militants were killed since Sunday evening in Najaf, an al-Sadr official said.
A senior U.S. military official in Baghdad estimated Monday that 360 insurgents died in Najaf in the first four days of the battle, although al-Sadr's militia insists the toll has been far lower.
A fight to the death, eh? Hmmm ...
* * *
Explosions and gunfire were heard throughout the holy Shiite city of Najaf, south of the capital, the main scene of fighting between U.S. troops and the militiamen. As U.S. helicopters hovered overhead, troops tried to drive militiamen from a vast cemetery they have used as a base, and a U.S. tank rolled within 400 yards of Najaf's holiest site.
Seven militants were killed since Sunday evening in Najaf, an al-Sadr official said.
A senior U.S. military official in Baghdad estimated Monday that 360 insurgents died in Najaf in the first four days of the battle, although al-Sadr's militia insists the toll has been far lower.
A fight to the death, eh? Hmmm ...
# posted by Frank_D @ 14:32 
