Militia Clings to Najaf Shrine
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Loyalists of Moqtada Sadr remained in control of Imam Ali shrine after failing to reach an agreement with Shiite leader on how to hand over the holy site.
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Moktada al-Sadr, the rebel Shiite cleric, still retained control of a Najaf shrine, though there were signs his grip might be weakening.
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NAJAF, Iraq - Radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his fighters Thursday to hand control of a revered Najaf shrine to top Shiite religious authorities, hours after U.S. forces bombed militant positions and Iraq's prime minister made a "final call" for the cleric's militia to surrender...
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With talks aimed at ending the siege of the Imam Ali mosque stalled, U.S. forces appeared to have tightened their noose around Najaf.
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NAJAF, Iraq  - Iraqi police took control of the  Imam Ali Mosque in the holy city of Najaf on Friday after  entering the shrine and arrested some hundreds of militiamen,  Interior Ministry and an Iraqi government source said.
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BAGHDAD : Moqtada Sadr&#39;s militiamen remained in control of their Najaf mosque stronghold, as fears grew that an Italian journalist missing in Iraq since Thursday was kidnapped.
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NAJAF, Iraq - Militants loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr kept their hold on a revered shrine, and clashes flared in Najaf on Saturday, raising fears that a resolution to the crisis in the holy city could collapse amid bickering between Shiite leaders.    An unofficial mediator pleaded with al-Sadr to disarm his militants, pull them out of the shrine and disband his militia immediately...
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Amid intermittent clashes in Najaf, talks to end a standoff between US-led forces and militiaman loyal to Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr appear to stall.
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Dozens of militia fighters loyal to Shiâite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr laid down their arms Friday in front of the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf after their leader turned control of
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NAJAF, Iraq  - When shrapnel lands in Najaf's Imam  Ali shrine, Shi'ite militants holed up inside the sacred  complex casually inspect the hot metal and then return to  prayers or chanting defiant slogans.
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Radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his fighters Thursday to hand control of a revered Najaf shrine to top Shiite religious authorities, hours after U.S. forces bombed militant positions and Iraq's prime minister made a "final call" for the cleric's militia to surrender.
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Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani resumed control over the Imam Ali shrine Friday while a final handful of militiamen loyal to a rebel Shiite cleric exited the compound after a deadly
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NAJAF, Iraq - U.S. forces Monday drew near Najaf's revered Shiite shrine, engaging in fierce battles with followers of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr as the military stepped up pressure on the insurgents to hand over the holy site to religious authorities...
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NAJAF, Iraq - Militants loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr kept their hold on a revered shrine, and clashes flared in Najaf on Saturday, raising fears that a resolution to the crisis in the holy city could collapse amid bickering between Shiite leaders.    An unofficial mediator pleaded with al-Sadr to disarm his militants, pull them out of the shrine and disband his militia immediately." We are in a race with time," said Hussein al-Sadr, a distant relative of the cleric...
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NAJAF, Iraq  Followers loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said Friday they were preparing to hand control of the revered Imam Ali Shrine to top Shiite religious authorities in a ...
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NAJAF, Iraq  - US marines and a radical Iraqi cleric are locked in a tense standoff after the firebrand leader refused to leave a holy shrine in Najaf despite earlier agreeing to disarm his militia and withdraw.
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NAJAF, Iraq - With U.S. forces bombing militant positions and gunbattles raging, radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his fighters to hand control of a revered Najaf shrine to top Shiite religious authorities but refused to disband his militia...