Insurgents battle US troops in holy city

HEAVY gunfire and huge explosions resounded in Karbala yesterday as US forces battled Iraqi militiamen near a gold-domed shrine that is one of the most sacred sites for Shi’ite Muslims.

Thick smoke rose over the city centre.

Heavy explosions were heard in another Shi’ite holy city, Najaf, where Shi’ite militiamen loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr also face US troops.