US forces postpone attack on holy city

US TROOPS yesterday postponed a planned offensive to root out Shi'ite militiamen they have been battling for a week in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf.

The militant Mahdi Army's leader, cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, urged his followers to battle on even if he is killed.

Fighting persisted in the vast cemetery near Najaf's holiest site, the Imam Ali Shrine, where US commanders say Mahdi Army militiamen have been holed up.