| THOUSANDS of Iraqis loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr were at the gates of the central Iraq city of Najaf today, where he and his militia have held out against a US-led assault over the past week. Many of the demonstrators arrived in buses and were led by Sheikh Hazem al-Araji, a senior Sadr aide in Baghdad. He had urged people during yesterday's weekly prayer to march to Najaf in protest against the US assault. A spokesman for Sadr said early today that the militia had agreed to a ceasefire to allow for peace talks with the government and the US military. |