U.S. and Iraqi forces battled militants Tuesday in Najaf, sending plumes of black smoke over the holy city as Iraq's government warned fighters loyal to a radical cleric "they have hours to surrender" in their weekslong standoff inside the Imam Ali Shrine or face attack. "The decisive hours are near," said Iraqi Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan. In his threat to the militants at Najaf, the defense minister said guardsmen would use loudspeakers to urge the followers of firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to evacuate the shrine and surrender.
| Explosives would offer them more encouragement... |
Addressing Iraqi National Guard troops in Najaf, Shaalan said Iraqi troops were working to cordon off the Imam Ali shrine. "When your brothers approach the holy shrine compound, they will direct calls of mercy to those (militants) to surrender," he said. "They have hours to surrender." Speaking of al-Sadr, Shaalan added that if the cleric surrendered, "he will be safe and will be highly respected. But if he continues to resist, then there will be no options for him other than death or prison." Asked earlier if the operation could happen Tuesday, he responded: "We will give the humanitarian option a greater chance ... but if we run out of patience, then this will mean that the hour for the military plan has come."
U.S. helicopter gunships and Bradley fighting vehicles were attacking militant positions in downtown Najaf, and militants returned fire with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. Witnesses said Iraqi forces accompanied U.S. troops into the Old City for the first time in recent days and were stationed about 200 yards from the shrine. Iraqi officials have said that any raid on the shrine would be conducted by Iraqi forces. |