U.S. Planes Drop Bombs Over Najaf's Old City

NAJAF, Iraq, Aug 25 (AFP) - Two deafening explosions sounded across Najaf late Wednesday, as US planes dropped bombs on the historic heart of the Iraqi city, witnesses said.
Thick black smoke spewed out into the night sky not far from the revered Imam Ali mausoleum, where supporters of radical cleric and militia leader Moqtada Sadr have been trapped by US forces, an AFP correspondent said.
Witnesses said they saw planes drop two bombs at around 11:15 pm (1915 GMT).
An AFP correspondent in the shrine said he heard a large salvo of mortar fire coming from Mehdi Army positions shortly after the air strike.