Iraqi Minister Warns of 'Decisive Battle' in Najaf
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U.S. forces continued to battle militiamen in neighborhoods around the sacred Imam Ali shrine on Wednesday as the Iraqi defense minister warned that a "decisive battle" would commence if the Mahdi Army of Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr did not surrender.
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Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged his supporters converging on Najaf on Thursday not to enter the battered holy city until he arrived, a senior aide said.
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NAJAF, Iraq - Iraq's top Shiite cleric made a dramatic return to Najaf at the head of a massive convoy Thursday hoping to end three weeks of fighting in the holy city, but hours earlier a mortar barrage slammed into a mosque filled with Iraqis preparing to join his march, killing 27 people and wounding 63.    Along with the mortar attack, another group of thousands of marchers heading into Najaf from its sister-city Kufa came under fire from an Iraqi National Guard base...
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Iraq&#39;s top Shi&#39;ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged his supporters converging on Najaf on Thursday not to enter the battered holy city until he arrived, a senior aide said.
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NAJAF, Iraq - Explosions and gunfire shook Najaf's Old City on Sunday in a fierce battle between U.S. forces and Shiite militants, as negotiations dragged on for the handover of the shrine that the fighters have used for their stronghold...
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NAJAF, Iraq - Iraq's top Shiite cleric made a dramatic return to Najaf at the head of a massive convoy Thursday hoping to end three weeks of fighting in the holy city. But hours earlier, a mortar barrage hit a mosque filled with Iraqis preparing to join his march, killing 27 people and wounding 63...
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Explosions and gunfire shook Najaf on Monday amid fierce battles between US forces and Shiite militants, who remained in control of a revered shrine here as negotiations
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NAJAF, Iraq  - A team of Iraqi ministers visited  battle-scarred Najaf Saturday and discussed plans for  rebuilding the holy city after three weeks of fighting that  killed hundreds and drove oil prices to record highs.
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NAJAF, Iraq  - Fierce fighting broke out in the  holy Iraqi city of Najaf Monday, with numerous explosions and  gunfire echoing around a sacred shrine held by followers of a  radical Shi'ite cleric, Reuters witnesses said.
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NAJAF, Iraq  - Iraq's defense minister gave  Shi'ite militiamen in the holy city of Najaf hours to surrender  on Wednesday, warning that troops were preparing for a major  assault to "teach them a lesson they will never forget."
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Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric headed for Najaf on Thursday to try to get rebels inside a holy shrine to leave and bring an end to three weeks of bloody fighting that has killed hundreds.
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NAJAF, Iraq  - Iraqi security forces moved to  within 400 meters (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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Renewed heavy fighting is reported to have broken out Wednesday in the Iraqi city of Najaf between US-led forces and militiamen loyal to radical Shi&#39;ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
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An Iraqi delegation is going to Najaf to try to end  a stand-off between US-led forces and Shia militants.
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BASRA, Iraq  - Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric headed  for Najaf on Thursday to try to get rebels inside a holy shrine  to leave and bring an end to three weeks of bloody fighting  that has killed hundreds.
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Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand  Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged his supporters converging on  Najaf on Thursday not to enter the battered holy city until he  arrived, a senior aide said.
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19 August 2004 -- An Iraqi government official has said a military offensive against Shi&#39;ite militiamen loyal to Shi&#39;a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the holy city of Al-Najaf will begin in &quot;hours&quot; unless they disarm.