"Iraq wins again!"
Iraqi police arrested some 400 Shiite Muslim militiamen at the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, a spokesperson for the interim government said on Friday, as fresh clashes broke out in the city. "Iraqi police entered the shrine in Najaf city and all armed militia were evicted," the spokesperson, who asked not to be named, said in Baghdad. more...
The fate of a radical Shi'a rebellion in the holy city of Najaf was uncertain on Friday amid disputed reports that Iraqi police had gained control of the Imam Ali Mosque. A senior Interior Ministry spokesman said police entered the shrine and arrested hundreds of militiamen loyal to rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to end a two-week revolt that left hundreds dead and helped drive world oil prices to record highs. more...
The Iraqi interior ministry and the US military both told Reuters that Mr Sadr was rumoured to have fled overnight from the shrine complex, which had been used by rebels as a base against US-led forces. The interior ministry said Iraqi police had moved into the shrine, accompanied by clerics, and 400 militiamen were said to have been detained. more...
Iraq's United States-backed caretaker government cried victory on Friday in its 19-day standoff with Shi'ite Muslim militiamen in Najaf, but on the ground rebel fighters remained firmly in control of their stronghold in the city's holiest shrine. Despite protestations from the Interior Ministry that police had taken control of the Imam Ali Shrine and detained several hundred militiamen loyal to Shi'ite radical leader Moqtada al-Sadr, an AFP correspondent in the shrine said he had not seen a single policeman. more...
Note For even greater distortion, read Iraq prepares assault on war-torn Najaf.
