Fighting Rages in Najaf After Peace Bid Fails
235980
NAJAF, Iraq  - Heavy fighting broke out between US troops and Shi&#39;ite militiamen in the Iraqi city of Najaf, where Iraq&#39;s interim defense minister said he expected a &quot;decisive battle&quot; to take place on Wednesday.
245119
NAJAF, Iraq - Explosions and gunfire shook Najaf&#39;s Old City yesterday in a fierce battle between US forces and Shiite militants, as negotiations dragged on for the handover of the revered shrine that the fighters have used for their stronghold.
174389
NAJAF, Aug 22: Heavy clashes flared between US troops and militiamen in Najaf on Sunday after the suspension of a proposed hand over of the militia&#39;s shrine stronghold to Iraq&#39;s religious leadership.
32022
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.
558681
22 August 2004 -- Sustained fighting between Shi&#39;ite militiamen and US-led forces has broken out again in Al-Najaf, with explosions and gunfire echoing through the southern Iraqi city.
662451
SPORADIC gunfire, explosions and a US bombing raid shook the city of Najaf yesterday as militants retained control of a revered shrine, raising fears that a plan to end the crisis could collapse amid bickering between Shiite leaders.
255248
The Baghdad conference on Iraq's future goes into an unscheduled fourth day as a peace bid fails in  Najaf.
510377
UNITED States forces and Shiite militants continued to fight fierce battles yesterday in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf, with explosions and gunfire reported near a revered shrine.
144417
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A national political conference&#39;s bid to end the fighting in the Shiite Muslim holy city of Najaf appeared to have failed Tuesday.
140109
At least 40 Iraqis were killed on  Saturday in fierce clashes near the southern city of Najaf,  where Shi'ite militias are involved in a standoff with U.S.-led  forces, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday.
147081
Explosions and gunfire shook Najaf today amid fierce battles between US forces and Shiite militants, who remained in control of a revered shrine there as negotiations dragged on for its handover to religious authorities.
708005
NAJAF, Iraq -- Renewed fighting between Shi'ite militants and US and Iraqi forces appeared likely here after talks between rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and the Iraqi government collapsed yesterday, raising fears of a climactic showdown in one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest cities.
626922
Fighting continued in Najaf late last night despite an earlier declaration that the Shia leader Muqtada Sadr had accepted a peace plan designed to end the two-week battle for control of the city.
117612
Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Heavy clashes broke out in Najaf leaving dead and wounded a day after an Iraqi delegation failed to meet Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on a mission aimed at ending an uprising by the cleric&#39;s militia, Reuters said.
269087
In fighting overnight in Najaf, 77 Iraqis were killed and 70 were wounded, officials of the Iraqi Ministry of Health said today.
131785
NAJAF, Iraq  - U.S. marines and Shi'ite militiamen  fought fierce battles around a shrine in the Iraqi city of  Najaf on Monday in some of the heaviest fighting since the  20-day-old rebellion erupted.
412447
ast week, the Iraqi city of Najaf teetered between hopes for a truce and threats of an all-out government assault to rout the rebel Islamic cleric Moktada al-Sadr.