--- SEARCH ---
WEATHER
CHINA
INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS
CULTURE
GOVERNMENT
SCI-TECH
ENVIRONMENT
SPORTS
LIFE
PEOPLE
TRAVEL
WEEKLY REVIEW
Film in China
War on Poverty
Learning Chinese
Learn to Cook Chinese Dishes
Exchange Rates
Hotel Service
China Calendar


Hot Links
China Development Gateway
Chinese Embassies

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the UN
Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland
Foreign Affairs College
Fierce Gunfire Erupts in Najaf Overnight

A fierce gunbattle erupted overnight Sunday between US forces and militiamen loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada Sadr near Najaf's holy shrine, said reports reaching Baghdad from the holy city. 

Sadr's Mehdi Army clashed regularly with US forces parked in tanks around 300 meters away from the Imam Ali shrine, witnesses were quoted as saying.

 

They added that guns and mortar bombs were heard being fired from inside the mosque compound before a brief US aerial bombardment over the Old City around midnight (about 2000 GMT).

 

Early on Sunday, US military aircraft pounded positions held by Sadr's militiamen before the military tanks advanced to a few hundred meters away from Imam Ali shrine for the first time during Najaf crisis, al-Arabiya TV channel reported.

 

The 18 days of fierce fighting have resulted in hundreds of Iraqi victims and the destruction of the city that is almost deserted.

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 23, 2004)

Militants Hold Najaf Shrine; Bombing Heard
Najaf Shrine Standoff Appears Near Resolution
Sadr Rejects to Give Up, US Shakes Najaf
Explosions Shake Iraq's Holy City of Najaf
Print This Page
|
Email This Page
About Us SiteMap Feedback
Copyright © China Internet Information Center. All Rights Reserved
E-mail: webmaster@china.org.cn Tel: 86-10-68326688