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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NAJAF, Iraq - Militants loyal to firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said Saturday that they handed over the keys to a revered Muslim shrine to Shiite religious leaders - a big step toward resolving a 2-week-old standoff in the holy city of Najaf.    The militants, however, remain in control of the Imam Ali Shrine while final details of the transfer are worked out, said al-Sadr aide Ahmed al-Shaibany...
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Iraqi rebel cleric Moqtada al Sadr has officially handed control of the Imam Ali shrine in the city of Najaf to representatives of the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
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NAJAF, Iraq - Militants loyal to firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr remained in control of a revered Shiite shrine at the center of the crisis in Najaf on Saturday, as they bickered with top Shiite religious leaders over how to hand the holy site over.    As the standoff dragged on, heavy clashes broke out for about 45 minutes near the cemetery and the Old City on Saturday afternoon between al-Sadr's militiamen and U.S...
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NAJAF, Iraq - Sporadic gunfire echoed through Najaf on Friday after a night of heavy U.S. bombing that saw radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr order his fighters to hand control of a revered Najaf shrine to top Shiite religious authorities...
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NAJAF, Iraq  Militants loyal to firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said Saturday that they handed over the keys to a revered Muslim shrine to Shiite religious leaders a big step toward resolving a 2-week-old standoff in the holy city of Najaf.
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U.S. aircraft and tanks pounded Shi'ite militia positions around a holy shrine and ancient cemetery in Najaf early on Friday, witnesses said.
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NAJAF, Iraq  - Fierce fighting broke out around a  shrine in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf Monday, and pieces of  shrapnel landed in the courtyard of the mosque held by  followers of a radical Shi'ite cleric, Reuters witnesses said.
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NAJAF, Iraq  - Shi'ite fighters appeared still to  be in control of a holy shrine in Najaf on Friday after Iraq's  interim government said it had overcome a bloody uprising by  seizing the Imam Ali mosque without a shot being fired.
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NAJAF, Iraq  - Fighters loyal to Iraqi cleric  Moqtada al-Sadr retained their grip on the Imam Ali shrine in  Najaf on Saturday, dampening hopes that talks with religious  authorities would quickly end a two-week siege.
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NAJAF, Iraq : Militiamen loyal to Moqtada Sadr were still holding Najaf&#39;s Imam Ali mosque Sunday, as smouldering violence and differences between Shiite leaders threatened to scupper efforts to end a weeks-long stand-off.
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NAJAF, Iraq - Sporadic gunfire and explosions boomed through Najaf on Thursday despite a peace deal in which radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr agreed to disarm his militiamen and pull them out of a revered Shiite shrine they've been taking refuge in.    As clashes in Najaf continued, Arab television station Al-Jazeera aired a video Thursday showing a militant group that called itself the Martyrs Brigade vowing to kill a missing Western journalist if U.S...
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NAJAF, Iraq - Militants loyal to firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr remained in control of a revered Shiite shrine at the center of the crisis in Najaf on Saturday, as they bickered with top Shiite religious leaders over how to hand the holy site over.    Despite the standoff, Najaf remained largely calm Saturday...
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Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Iraqi troops may raid the holy Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf today in an attempt to force militants loyal to Shiite Muslim Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr out of the area, the Associated Press reported, citing Iraqi Defense Minister Hazem ...
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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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NAJAF, Iraq  - Shi'ite fighters appeared to be in  control of a holy shrine in Najaf on Friday hours after Iraq's  interim government said it had overcome a bloody uprising by  seizing the Imam Ali mosque without a shot being fired.
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NAJAF, Iraq - Militiamen loyal to rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Friday removed their weapons from the revered Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf as a 2-week-old uprising centered on the holy site appeared to be drawing to an end.    Militants from al-Sadr's Mahdi Army had been using the shrine, one of the holiest in Shiite Islam, as a hideout while they attacked U.S...