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US Military Says It's Killed 360 Militants in Najaf
U.S. forces have killed at least 360 militants in the past four days of fighting between U.S. troops and Shi'ite militiamen in the holy city of Najaf, a senior U.S. military official said on Monday. | Must be change in policy, we haven't done many bodycounts before. |
The official, who asked not to be identified, said the toll included fighting up until late on Sunday. He said U.S. troops were not actively pursuing rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Mehdi Army Shi'ite militia. | That mission is on the Iraqi polices plate. |
Fighting broke out on Thursday and there have been fierce clashes since, with U.S. helicopter gunships attacking militia positions inside Najaf's ancient cemetery and militants hiding out around the city's holiest shrine, the Imam Ali mosque. In the past 48 hours, U.S. marines have been trying to tighten a noose around the militia, closing in on the area around the golden-domed shrine. | This is how you do "surround" |
In the past, the area around the mosque was considered off limits to U.S. forces, who feared a popular backlash if the holy site was damaged. But the U.S. official said on Monday the governor of Najaf had given the marines permission to carry out operations inside the exclusion zone around the shrine if necessary. | Green light, full speed ahead! |
Posted by: Steve 2004-08-09 |
