Fresh fighting hits holy Haideri shrine wall

By: Ismail Zabeeh

HOLY CITY OF NAJAF, Iraq: Explosions and gunfire rattled through the holy city of Najaf as clashes between US troops and Mehdi militia resumed here Sunday, a day after the collapse of truce talks.

An explosion, believed to be from a tank round, landed near the outer wall of the compound housing the holy Shrine of Commander of Faithful Imam Ali (pbuh), the militias' informal headquarters, leading to the injury of the external wall of the mausoleum and a direct injury of the shrine wall from the side of the As-Sadeq street which caused material damages to the holy wall.

A correspondent to “Al-Arabiya” satellite channel reported that the attack which started once again on Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf City led to the injury of the Imam Ali (pbuh) shrine by a missile.

Meanwhile, about 1,300 religious, political and civic leaders gathered for the unprecedented three-day meeting to discuss political issues and help choose a 100-member national council meant to serve as a watchdog over the country's interim government before elections scheduled for January.

Just after the start of the heavily secured national conference, a mortar barrage slammed into a commuter bus station in central Baghdad, scattering shards of glass, shrapnel and blood and leaving about one dozen people dead.

The conference got off to a rocky start when more than 100 delegates walked out to protest against fighting in the holy city of Najaf.

Coalition officials reiterated Saturday they would not enter the shrine.

“It is not our intention to go anywhere near the holy sites. We understand their significance,” Maj. Gen. Andrew Graham, deputy commanding general of the Multination Corps, told The Associated Press. “The irreverence ... is (As-Sadr's) and not ours.”

An Interior Ministry statement said on Sunday: “The government has issued clear orders to the national security forces not to target or violate in any way the sanctuary and holiness of the Imam Ali mausoleum,” where hundreds of followers of Moqtada As-Sadr were believed holed up.

In another development, a government official said Iraqi forces will quickly launch a major assault against the militiamen in the holy city of Najaf. “A major assault by forces will be launched quickly to bring the Najaf fight to an end… I do not think there is an option as this matter has to be brought to conclusion as fast as possible and we want to bring the situation to normalcy soon.”

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