Shrine hit as Najaf blasted

BACKED by helicopters US tanks charged into Najaf yesterday and blasted positions held by fighters loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who condemned the US in a sermon.

The Shrine of Imam Ali, one of the most sacred sites for Shi’ite Muslims, was slightly damaged in the fighting.

Four Iraqis died and 26 were wounded, said Haidar Raheem Naama, an official at the city’s main hospital. He said most were civilians. At least three militiamen were killed, and their coffins were brought to the shrine for family and friends to pray for their souls.

“America is the enemy of God!” their fellow fighters shouted.

Explosions and heavy machinegun fire rocked Najaf neighbourhoods for hours, and bands of militiamen with assault rifles, rocket- propelled grenades and mortar tubes roamed the city.

After a lull, sporadic shelling and machinegun fire resumed as night fell.

Four holes, each about 12 inches long and eight inches wide, were visible on the golden dome of the Imam Ali mosque.

Militia members blamed US forces for the damage, but Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, the chief US military spokesman in Iraq, said al-Sadr’s men were probably responsible:

“I can tell you by the looks of where we were firing and where Muqtada’s militia was firing.”

General Kimmitt accused the militia of using religious sites “much like human shields”. He also said that US troops were responding to attacks by militiamen and were not launching an all-out assault on the city.