Militants loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr kept their hold on a revered shrine, and clashes flared in Najaf on Saturday, raising fears that a resolution to the crisis in the holy city could collapse amid bickering between Shiite leaders. An unofficial mediator pleaded with al-Sadr to disarm his militants, pull them out of the shrine and disband his militia immediately. "We are in a race with time," said Hussein al-Sadr, a distant relative of the cleric.
| Tater thinks he's got all the time in the world. He's not dead, and he just keeps yassering away, with agreement after agreement... |
Early Sunday, U.S. warplanes bombed Najaf's Old City, the scene of much of the fighting, and the sounds of shelling could be heard in the streets, witnesses said. The U.S. military could not confirm the bombing, but said operations in Najaf were ongoing.
| Is it necessary to confirm the bombing? It's kind of hard to mistake it for something else. Or maybe that's what we're going to do: flatten the mosque and claim it was a really bad thunderstorm or something... |
On Saturday, clashes between U.S. troops and al-Sadr fighters were brief but heavy, punctuated by gunfire and explosions, with one blast hitting the street 50 yards from the Imam Ali Shrine at the center of the standoff.
| Tough nails for the revered shrine... |
Marine Capt. Carrie Batson said U.S. troops came under mortar attack in the Old City and destroyed two militant mortar positions with gunfire and an Apache helicopter attack. The fighting died down after about 45 minutes, returning the city to the relative calm that it has seen. Still, the flare-up reflected the danger that peace efforts could fall apart once again, mired in last-minute delays. Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia still held the Imam Ali Shrine, their stronghold throughout this month's fighting, and while it has agreed to hand it over to Shiite religious authorities, the two sides were squabbling over the price how to do so. |
