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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Iraq Fighting Subsides in Nasiriyah |
| 2004-05-15 |
| Fighting ebbed Saturday in the southern city of Nasiriyah, where gunmen believed loyal to a radical cleric had attacked the local headquarters of the U.S.-led coalition, a coalition official said. Two Filipino guards were wounded. Shooting lasted all night until 6 a.m. around the coalition building, where some international staffers and four Italian journalists were trapped inside, said spokesman Andrea Angeli, who was among those in the building. Italian forces and Filipino security guards in the compound fought militiamen who fired mortars, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades from the southeast and northeast parts of the city, Angeli said by telephone. Two Filipino security guards were wounded by shrapnel, he said. One was hit in the head and the other suffered leg injuries. "They were treated inside the building and were evacuated by a military convoy to the Italian military hospital around 2 o'clock this morning," Angeli said. "They are not in serious condition." The coalition staffers, including Italians, Americans and Britons along with drivers and security guards, and Italian journalists remained inside the building, he said. The gunbattle erupted about 7 p.m. Friday. Earlier Friday, militiamen pushed their way into the governor's office and moved near a hotel, a main bridge and police stations. They left the governor's office later, residents said. Trouble started in Nasiriyah after daylong fighting in the holy city of Najaf between American forces and radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's fighters. |
| Posted by:Fred |