25 Iraqis die in battle for Karbala

US soldiers backed by tanks and helicopters battled fighters loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr near a mosque in the holy city of Karbala today, hours after Iraqi leaders agreed on a proposal that would end al-Sadr’s standoff with the US-led forces.

Up to 25 insurgents were killed, the coalition said.

Half of the Mukhaiyam mosque, which had served as a base for al-Sadr followers, was destroyed and seven hotels were on fire after tanks opened fire and jets bombed the area. Most of the shops in Tal al-Zeinabiya, a central market, and three ambulances were also destroyed.

American troops and al-Sadr’s followers also fought overnight on the outskirts of two other southern cities, Kufa and Najaf. Residents heard large explosions. One Iraqi was killed and four were wounded in Kufa, and four Iraqis were wounded in Najaf, hospital officials said.

US soldiers raided houses last night in Sadr City, a Baghdad neighbourhood where support for al-Sadr is strong, witnesses said. Three Iraqis were killed. At a funeral ceremony today for one of the killed men, mourners raised Iraqi flags and al-Sadr posters as they chanted: “Down, down USA.”

American forces killed 20 to 25 “enemy” fighters in the Karbala battles, while seven coalition soldiers were wounded. Four of the soldiers returned to duty, the official said.

A witness counted the bodies of 14 Iraqis lying in al-Jumhouriya street, a main road in Karbala, and said US snipers were targeting anyone who moved in the mostly empty streets.

Witnesses said American soldiers first tried to enter the mosque, but then traded fire with al-Sadr followers who had moved to the buildings around it. Fighting lasted for several hours. The mosque is less than a mile from one of the holiest Shiite sites in the world, the Imam Hussein shrine.

Footage broadcast by the American network Fox News, which has a reporter travelling with US troops of the 1st Armored Division, showed a building on fire and a US vehicle trying to knock down a wall.