Woman dies in battle near rebel cleric's home

American forces fought with gunmen protecting rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s house in clashes that killed one woman and wounded three others in the Iraqi holy city of Kufa.

At least six US military vehicles entered the Zahra area in Kufa near al-Sadr’s house, which is protected by his militia, the Mahdi Army, witnesses said.

Barrages of gunfire and mortar rounds set cars on fire before Iraqi police intervened and the US forces withdrew, witnesses said.

“One woman was killed and we have three injured,” said Ajwak Kadhim, director at Al-Hakim Hospital in Kufa, 100 miles south of Baghdad.

Al-Sadr, who is wanted by US forces for the murder of a moderate cleric in the nearby city of Najaf, was in his house at the time, witnesses said.

The radical cleric, who has grassroots support for his anti-coalition stance, began a two-month rebellion in early April after the US led occupation authority closed his newspaper and arrested a key aide.

A series of truces ended the fighting, and the issue of whether to carry out his the arrest warrant was postponed.