US forces kill scores in Iraq but Najaf truce holds

10.30pm

BAGHDAD - US forces killed around 90 insurgents in Iraqi towns north and south of Baghdad on Saturday, but a truce appeared to be holding in the holy city of Najaf despite a radical cleric's threat to fight to the death.

The fresh violence erupted on the eve of a national conference aimed at advancing Iraq's progress towards democracy, already overshadowed by a 10-day Shi'ite Muslim uprising led by radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

The US military said it had killed about 50 fighters near the northern town of Samarra, a mainly Sunni Muslim area where US troops have launched repeated raids to flush out guerrillas opposed to the presence of foreign troops in Iraq.

Warplanes screaming overhead dropped 500-pound bombs, while insurgents responded with rifle fire and rocket-propelled grenades, a US military statement said, adding that there were no US casualties.

Iraqi police in Samarra said at least five people were killed and 50 wounded in fighting in the area, 100km north of Baghdad.

Fighting also raged between US troops and Sadr followers in the southern Shi'ite town of Hilla overnight. Forty fighters and three police were killed, Iraq's interior ministry said.

The clashes followed a day of relative calm in the southern city of Najaf, where US marines backed by tanks and warplanes launched an assault on Thursday aimed at crushing a rebellion by Sadr's fighters.

A truce seemed to be holding for a second day in Najaf on Saturday, allowing some residents to venture out and inspect the damage of more than a week of fighting.

Militiamen remained in some streets around the Imam Ali Mosque and a nearby vast cemetery while US forces patrolled other parts of the city.

Separately, the US military said one soldier and one marine were killed on Friday in western Iraq.

The surge in fighting has proved the most serious challenge for interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi since his government assumed power from US occupiers on June 28, tasked with steering the country to elections in January 2005.

The national conference, due to open in Baghdad on Sunday, aims to pick a 100-member council to oversee the government.

Allawi said last week that the political process is open to all, but Sadr -- buoyed by mass protests by his supporters on Friday -- appeared in no mood to cut a deal as his aides said they were offered too little too late.

Encircled by US troops in Najaf's sacred Imam Ali Mosque, Sadr pledged to stay in the city until victory or death, dampening hopes that Allawi's government would be able to negotiate a speedy end to the confrontation.

"I will not leave this holy city," he told his fighters, who chanted "no, no to America" in response. "We will remain here defending the holy shrines until victory or martyrdom."

Sadr appeared before his supporters wearing bandages late on Friday, apparently confirming reports by aides that he had been wounded in fighting earlier in the day.

However, Falah al-Naqib, interior minister in Iraq's interim government, had denied Sadr had been wounded and said a truce had been in force in Najaf since Thursday night.

Iraqi Defence Minister Hazim al-Shalaan told London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that foreign fighters were among those captured amongst Sadr supporters. US officials have long claimed that fighters are entering Iraq from abroad.

"Yes, we arrested non-Arab fighters who do not speak Arabic. They are Iranians and Afghans and they will appear on television after investigations are concluded," he said.

Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most influential Shi'ite cleric who has been a voice for moderation and whose health could be crucial for Iraq's future stability, has successfully undergone heart surgery in London, an aide said on Saturday.

He said there was no indication when the 73-year-old Muslim cleric would be well enough to return to Iraq.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in seven Iraqi cities on Friday to condemn the US offensive, with Sunni Muslims from the rebellious town of Falluja voicing support for Shi'ites facing more than 2000 US troops around Najaf.

In Hilla, a group of about 20 Polish soldiers ended an overnight standoff with Sadr supporters and returned safely to camp early on Saturday from the police station where they had been holed up overnight, the Polish military said.

"The incident ended without a single shot fired and everyone is now safely back in base camp," said Zdzislaw Gnatowski, spokesman for the General Staff in Warsaw.

It was unclear whether the incident was related to the clash between militiamen and US troops in the town.

Poland leads a multinational force of 8000 troops in south-central Iraq, including 2500 Polish soldiers.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq