(Telegraph-UK) American forces, newly supplemented by Iraqi National Guard troops, tightened the screw on the insurgents occupying Shia Islam's holiest site in Najaf. Iraqi forces were expected to stage the final assault, almost certainly supported by U.S. special forces soldiers in Arab dress. Radical cleric Muqtada Sadr appears to be increasingly unpopular. Local resident Mustafa Hussein said Sadr's forces were responsible for killing more civilians than the Americans and had also abused the bodies of their victims. "When they captured the police station they slaughtered the officers and gouged out their eyes."
2004-08-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive