BASRA, Iraq, Aug 25 (AFP) - Iraq's top Shiite Muslim cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, arrived back in the country on Wednesday as fighting round one of the holiest Shiite shrines neared a climax, a top border guard said.
Sistani, 73, who underwent medical treatment in London, crossed into Iraq from the Kuwaiti border, after a senior aide said he intended to "save the city" of Najaf, where rebel cleric Moqtada Sadr's militia have been pinned around the Imam Ali mausoleum by US and Iraqi government forces.
"I have had the honour to meet and accompany Sistani, who arrived at the border at 11:00 am (0700 GMT)," said Brigadier General Ali al-Mussawi, head of Iraqi border police in Basra.
"Sistani is still in Basra under the protection of border guards. He is in the home of Abdel Hakim al-Safi al-Mussawi," the top cleric's representative in the British-patrolled city, Mussawi added.
After hearing Sistani was resting in the city, hundreds of people flocked to the house waving Iraqi flags.
"Sayyad Sistani is in Basra and he is expected to spend the night in the city," said Abu Ayman, an aide of Abdel Hakim al-Safi al-Mussawi.
Najaf, whose Imam Ali mausoleum is one of the holiest Shiite sites, is the scene of fierce fighting between militiamen loyal to Sadr and US-led forces.
The head of Sistani's London office, Hamad al-Khaffaf, said earlier, "We call on all Iraqis ... to be ready to return to Najaf. An initiative will be announced when we arrive in Najaf."
Saying the shrine had been "tarnished and violated," he added, "We are coming to your place, even with our (dead) bodies to erase (the stains) and for the dome of your mausoleum ... to continue to shine."