Sadr losing parts of Najaf
2004-08-25 19:47
Najaf - Moqtada Sadr's Mehdi army has lost control of significant parts of Najaf, after heavy United States-led attacks in the Iraqi city, said a spokesman for Shiite Muslim militia leader on Wednesday.
"It's not like before. The area we control has significantly shrunk.
"They (the Americans) are trying to maintain their control on Najaf because they have failed everywhere else in Iraq," said Sheikh Ahmed al-Shaibani.
He said six bodies and 20 people with injuries had been brought into the makeshift clinic in the revered Imam Ali shrine in the past 24 hours.
On the 21st day of fighting, US planes fired missiles within metres of the Ali mausoleum.
US armour held the shrine in a pincer grip from the west and east and heavy artillery pounded areas to the south as snipers fired on all those coming or going from the mausoleum.
The closest US vehicle was 20m from the western gate of the complex, one of the most-important Shiite pilgrimage sites in the world.
All four gates of the compound were bolted by militiamen inside.