Heavy Clashes Between Militia, US Forces Near Najaf Shrine

NAJAF, Iraq, Aug 22 (AFP) - Heavy shooting and mortar fire erupted near the Imam Ali shrine in the holy city of Najaf on Sunday afternoon, as Shiite Muslim militiamen clashed with US troops, an AFP correspondent witnessed.
Mehdi Army fighters, loyal to radical cleric Moqtada Sadr, launched multiple attacks on US tanks, parked around 300 metres (yards) away from the shrine, one of Shiite Islam`s holiest.
US tanks fired back, as the reverberations of gunfire and mortar bombs could be heard from inside the mosque compound.
Overnight, US warplanes pounded the central holy city between 2:30 and 3:00 am (between 2230 and 2300 GMT Saturday), causing three large explosions near the Mehdi Army`s mausoleum headquarters.
A US military spokesman confirmed earlier that military operations were continuing at the request of the Iraqi government and an AFP correspondent said the clashes were more intense than on Saturday.
US troops backing Iraqi forces in Najaf had scaled back their deployment and Saturday was mostly calm despite sporadic exchanges of fire.
In the southern cities of Basra and Amara, clashes also flared between British-led multinational forces and the Mehdi Army overnight, with patrols and coalition bases coming under small arms and mortar fire, a spokeswoman said.
Troops inflicted an unknown number of casualties on the militiamen, she added.