Militants Hold Najaf Shrine; Bombing Heard
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NAJAF, Iraq - Militants loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr kept their hold on a revered shrine as clashes flared in Najaf on Sunday, raising fears a resolution to the crisis in the holy city could collapse amid bickering between Shiite leaders.    An unofficial mediator and distant relative of the cleric pleaded with al-Sadr to disarm his militants, pull them out of the shrine and disband his militia immediately...
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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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NAJAF, Iraq - Militants filed out of the Imam Ali Shrine, closed the doors behind them and turned over the keys to Iraq's top Shiite cleric Friday, symbolizing their acceptance of a peace deal to end three weeks of devastating fighting in this holy city.    By Friday afternoon, dozens of Iraqi police and national guardsmen surrounded the shrine compound - many kissing its doors and weeping - as the government began to re-establish control over the Old City of Najaf...
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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.    The clashes between U.S...
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NAJAF, Iraq  - Fighters loyal to rebel Shi'ite  cleric Moqtada al-Sadr were firmly in control of Najaf's Imam  Ali mosque on Saturday, giving the lie to government claims  that police had taken control of the shrine.
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Reports from Iraq say US forces have hit part of a holy Shiite shrine in Najaf where rebels have been locked in a two-week standoff with US-led forces.
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Iraqi troops could raid Najaf's holy Imam Ali Shrine as early as Wednesday in a final push to root out Shiite militants hiding there while they battle U.S. forces, Iraqi Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan said.
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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...
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NAJAF, Iraq - US and Iraqi forces battled militants in Najaf today, as Iraqi National Guardsmen advanced to within 200 yards of the holy city&#39;s Imam Ali shrine compound, where insurgents loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have been holed up for weeks
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NAJAF, Iraq  - Iraqi security forces moved to  within 400 yards of a holy shrine in Najaf on Tuesday, just  hours after the government warned Shi'ite rebels inside they  would be killed if they did not surrender.
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NAJAF, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi forces battled militants in Najaf on Tuesday and Iraqi National Guardsmen advanced to within 200 yards of the holy city's Imam Ali Shrine compound, where insurgents loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have been holed up for weeks...
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Sporadic gunfire, explosions and a US bombing raid shook the city of Najaf today as militants retained control of a revered shrine, raising fears that a plan to end the crisis could collapse amid bickering between Shiite leaders.
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Iraqi security forces tightened their grip around a key shrine in Najaf yesterday after the interim government warned Shia rebels inside they must surrender or die.
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NAJAF, Iraq  - A senior commander of Shi'ite  militants holed up inside a Najaf shrine said the wall of the  mosque was hit by U.S. fire on Sunday night.
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NAJAF, Iraq - Militiamen loyal to rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Friday removed weapons from the revered Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf in a step aimed at ending the 2-week-old uprising centered on the holy site.    Iraq's highest Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani, agreed to take control of the shrine, which al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia turned into a stronghold and refuge during their fight with U.S...
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Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Moqtada al-Sadr, the Shiite Muslim cleric leading an insurgency in Najaf, is preparing to hand over control of the city&#39;s holy shrine to Iraqi religious authorities after a night of bombing by US forces, Reuters reported.
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NAJAF, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi forces battled militants Tuesday in Najaf, sending plumes of black smoke over the holy city, as Iraq's government warned fighters loyal to a radical cleric to abandon their weekslong standoff inside the Imam Ali Shrine or face attack...