Militants take control of key Iraqi cities

SHI'ITE Muslim militants were in full control of two key Iraqi cities yesterday as violence escalated and Sunni fighters killed a US marine in the battle for Fallujah.

Gunmen, mainly from the militia led by radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, have full control over the southern cities of Kut, Kufa and the central part of Najaf. Other young Shi'ites don't seem to be joining the al-Sadr militias.

Iraq's interior minister resigned at the request of top US administrator Paul Bremer, to maintain balance between Sunni and Shi'ite factions on the governing council. It was unclear if the resignation of Nuri al-Badran was also connected with the failure of Iraqi police to confront insurgents.

Fighting this week in Fallujah, Ramadi and elsewhere has left 36 Americans and at least 459 Iraqis dead.

Director of the city's hospital Taher Al-Issawai said the figure included over 280 Iraqis killed since the marines' siege against insurgents in Fallujah, west of Baghdad, began on Monday.

Police in those cities have abandoned their stations or stood aside as the gunmen roam the streets.

Lt Gen Ricardo Sanchez, the top US general in Iraq, said there appeared to be links "at the lowest levels" between the Shi'ite militia and Sunni Arab insurgents who have long fought US troops in central Iraq cities like Fallujah and Ramadi.

The insurgency has not taken hold in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, and residents of Amarah and Nasiriyah, where fatal clashes took place on Tuesday, said those towns were calm.

Ukrainian troops were forced to withdraw from their bases in Kut on Wednesday, but Lt Gen Sanchez said coalition forces would retake it "imminently". He suggested the presence of hundreds of thousands of Shi'ite pilgrims in Najaf for the al-Arbaeen holy day this weekend was hampering coalition forces from engaging militiamen.

Mr Bremer said Shi'ite pilgrims faced a threat of violence if they visit shrines in southern cities where militias have battled coalition forces for several days.

Polish and Bulgarian soldiers drove off Shi'ites who attacked near the municipal hall in Karbala south of Baghdad in all-night battles, a Polish spokesman said.

Coalition forces suffered no casualties but killed nine attackers and wounded about 20 others, Lt Col Robert Strzelecki said.

The attackers, loyal to al-Sadr, used machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms.

In the Sunni Muslim stronghold of Fallujah, marines fought insurgents for a second day. One was reported killed by the military, though no details were released.

Lt Col Greg Olsen said marines had "made inroads into the city and are driving the enemy resistance back".

Marines battled again around the Abdel-Aziz al-Samarrai mosque, which Captain James Edge said insurgents were again using as a base despite a six-hour battle on Wednesday to uproot them. Helicopters were deployed to support the marines, he said.

Capping Wednesday's battle, a US helicopter fired a missile at the base of the mosque's minaret, and an F-16 dropped a laser-guided bomb at the wall, allowing marines to seize the site, Lt Col Brennan Byrne said.

The Islamic Clerics Committee, located next to the mosque, confirmed earlier witness accounts that 40 people were killed, including "entire families".

That disputed a US marine statement that there were no civilian casualties.

In Baghdad, US forces have been battling with al-Mahdi militia in their main stronghold in Baghdad, the Shi'ite neighbourhood of Sadr City.

A US helicopter struck the al-Sadr office in the district before dawn yesterday, causing an unknown number of wounded.