US troops fight radical cleric's militia

Backed by tanks and helicopters, US soldiers fought fighters loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr early today in the southern holy city of Karbala, witnesses said. Much of the fighting took place near a prominent mosque.

The fighting pitted soldiers of the 1st Armoured Division against al-Sadr’s Al-Mahdi Army militia and lasted for several hours in the Iskan and Jamiya areas of the city. There was no immediate word on casualties.

There was heavy fighting around the Mukhaiyam mosque, which has served as a base for al-Sadr loyalists.

Footage broadcast by the Fox News network, which has a reporter travelling with US troops, showed a building on fire and a US vehicle trying to knock down a wall.

Yesterday, Iraqi leaders in another holy city, Najaf, said al-Sadr would end his violent stand-off with US troops if the coalition postpones its legal case against him, withdraws troops from Najaf and sets up an Iraqi force to patrol the city.