Allied troops fought bloody battles against an enemy they did not expect in Iraq today – Shi'ites who were downtrodden during Saddam Hussein’s brutal regime.

A radical Iraqi cleric was branded an “outlaw” today and the US announced a warrant for his arrest, heightening a confrontation after his supporters clashed with coalition troops in battles that killed more than 60 people.

At least 22 Iraqis, eight US troops and one Salvadoran soldier died in one of the worst days of violence in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein