US forces postpone attack on holy city

[Judi Lynn]

12/08/04
US forces postpone attack on holy city

By Todd Pitman, Najaf
US TROOPS yesterday postponed a planned offensive to root out Shi'ite militiamen they have been battling for a week in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf.

The militant Mahdi Army's leader, cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, urged his followers to battle on even if he is killed.

Fighting persisted in the vast cemetery near Najaf's holiest site, the Imam Ali Shrine, where US commanders say Mahdi Army militiamen have been holed up.

Gunbattles between militants and coalition forces in two other southern cities killed 18 people.

In Najaf, the US Marines said earlier in the day that they were training Iraqi security forces in preparation to launch a major assault to root out the fighters.
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