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Top Sadr aide seized in war-torn Najaf
US troops have seized a brother-in-law of radical Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr in Najaf, where fighting in the cemetery has reportedly left dozens dead.
Iraqi sources said Sayyed Ryad al-Nuri, a close aide to the Mehdi Army's leader, was taken without a fight during raids in the city.
But a battle raged through the night in Najaf's vast cemetery, with US sources reporting about 50 gunmen killed.
In Baghdad, some 20 of Mr Sadr's armed followers are also said to have died.
US tanks and helicopter gunships sought out positions of the Mehdi Army (MA), who fought back with rocket-propelled grenades and mortars.
A Sadr spokesman talked of a "true slaughter house" among the tombs.
"An area of 500 square metres in the cemetery has become a true slaughter house for both the living and dead," said Sheikh Qais al-Khazali.
AFP news agency reports from Najaf that in one part of the cemetery family mausoleums have been holed by shells and shattered tombs are stained with the blood of gunmen.
Mr Khazali appealed for independent experts to come and inspect the damage.
The fighting came after the shrine of the revered prophet Imam Ali was damaged in fighting. It is not clear who caused the damage.
In other developments:
The US insists it will keep control of its own troops in Iraq after the planned transfer of administrative power
US and UK diplomats prepare for new talks at the UN Security Council on their plans for the handover
The killing of two civilian contractors prompts a Russian energy firm to withdraw from Iraq
'Liquidation'
Mr Nuri was captured in a raid on his home at 0400 (midnight GMT) on Wednesday without a fight, Mr Khazali said.
The US military said Mr Nuri was being sought for the murder of a moderate cleric, Abdul Majid al-Khoei, in April last year and would be handed over to the Iraqi authorities.
The houses of several other aides were raided but none were at home.
The Sadr spokesman said the roads were part of a "US military escalation against the Shia".
"We've lost hope in negotiations," he added. "What is happening is a liquidation of Shia, especially the Sadr movement."
In the past few days, the US military has stepped up the pressure on the radical cleric in an offensive it is calling Operation Iron Sabre.
MA gunmen began an uprising against coalition rule in Shia areas of Iraq at the beginning of April.
In Baghdad, coalition military spokesman Brig Gen Mark Kimmitt, quoted by AFP, said the overnight MA death toll in Najaf had been "fewer than 70". Another US military official quoted by Reuters put the toll at "just under 50".
In Sadr City, a sprawling Baghdad slum, Brig Gen Kimmitt said "less than 30" gunmen had been killed during the night while the unnamed official who spoke to Reuters talked of "slightly fewer than 20" MA deaths.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3749619.stm
But a battle raged through the night in Najaf's vast cemetery, with US sources reporting about 50 gunmen killed.
In Baghdad, some 20 of Mr Sadr's armed followers are also said to have died.
US tanks and helicopter gunships sought out positions of the Mehdi Army (MA), who fought back with rocket-propelled grenades and mortars.
A Sadr spokesman talked of a "true slaughter house" among the tombs.
"An area of 500 square metres in the cemetery has become a true slaughter house for both the living and dead," said Sheikh Qais al-Khazali.
AFP news agency reports from Najaf that in one part of the cemetery family mausoleums have been holed by shells and shattered tombs are stained with the blood of gunmen.
Mr Khazali appealed for independent experts to come and inspect the damage.
The fighting came after the shrine of the revered prophet Imam Ali was damaged in fighting. It is not clear who caused the damage.
In other developments:
The US insists it will keep control of its own troops in Iraq after the planned transfer of administrative power
US and UK diplomats prepare for new talks at the UN Security Council on their plans for the handover
The killing of two civilian contractors prompts a Russian energy firm to withdraw from Iraq
'Liquidation'
Mr Nuri was captured in a raid on his home at 0400 (midnight GMT) on Wednesday without a fight, Mr Khazali said.
The US military said Mr Nuri was being sought for the murder of a moderate cleric, Abdul Majid al-Khoei, in April last year and would be handed over to the Iraqi authorities.
The houses of several other aides were raided but none were at home.
The Sadr spokesman said the roads were part of a "US military escalation against the Shia".
"We've lost hope in negotiations," he added. "What is happening is a liquidation of Shia, especially the Sadr movement."
In the past few days, the US military has stepped up the pressure on the radical cleric in an offensive it is calling Operation Iron Sabre.
MA gunmen began an uprising against coalition rule in Shia areas of Iraq at the beginning of April.
In Baghdad, coalition military spokesman Brig Gen Mark Kimmitt, quoted by AFP, said the overnight MA death toll in Najaf had been "fewer than 70". Another US military official quoted by Reuters put the toll at "just under 50".
In Sadr City, a sprawling Baghdad slum, Brig Gen Kimmitt said "less than 30" gunmen had been killed during the night while the unnamed official who spoke to Reuters talked of "slightly fewer than 20" MA deaths.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3749619.stm
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