77 Killed, 70 Wounded In Najaf: Ministry

BAGHDAD, Aug 20 (AFP) - Seventy-seven people were killed and another 70 wounded in the past 24 hours in Iraq's holy city of Najaf, where US forces pounded Shiite Muslim militia bastions overnight, the health ministry said.
"We have 77 people killed and 70 reported injured," said an official at the ministry's emergency room.
The department draws up tolls for 24-hour periods, but the official confirmed that most of the casualties were brought in overnight, when heavy shelling pounded militia positions around the Old City.
An AFP correspondent said the bombardment was the heaviest since the fighting began on August 5 after the collapse of an earlier truce.
On Thursday afternoon, police said eight people were killed and 30 wounded when mortar bombs smashed into the Najaf provincial police headquarters.
At least 3,800 US and Iraqi government troops have been deployed in Najaf against an estimated 1,000 militia.