Shiite fighters launch attack on US base
Iraqi Shiite militiamen fired several mortar shells at a US base in Najaf early today and at a city hall guarded by Bulgarian troops in another Shiite city. Four US soldiers died after their Humvee overturned during a combat patrol north of Baghdad, the Army said.
The overnight shelling of the US base in Najaf followed intense attacks yesterday by militiamen loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who pounded the base with mortars and fired rifles and machine guns.
No US soldiers were killed in either attack but about 20 Iraqis were killed by US retaliatory fire.
In Karbala, 50 miles north of Najaf, the city hall and the police headquarters, which are guarded by Bulgarian soldiers, came under mortar fire before dawn today, Bulgarian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Rumyana Strugareva said.
No casualties or damage were reported after that attack which lasted about ten minutes. Al-Sadr’s forces have battled coalition troops since the occupation authorities sought his arrest last month for the killing of a rival cleric last year.
North of Baghdad, four US soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division died from injuries sustained when their vehicle rolled over last night during a patrol near Khalis, 40 miles northeast of Baghdad, the military said in a statement.
At least 759 US troops have died in Iraq since the war began in March 2003.
In Najaf, US commanders said they were holding back fire to avoid serious clashes in the city, which is home to one of the most holy Shiite Muslim shrines.
In Fallujah, Major General Mohammed Abdul-Latif, who opposed Saddam Hussein, took over as head of a new force that will replace US Marines in the city, subject to a final background check by US officials.
Abdul-Latif would replace another general who may have been involved in Saddam-era repression.
During a brief news conference in Fallujah, Abdul-Latif condemned the brutal killing and mutilation of four American contractors there last month, which triggered the three-week siege of the city.
However, Abdul-Latif said the people of Fallujah collectively were not to blame.
Fallujah residents have been celebrating what many see as a victory over the US Marines, who are lifting a month long siege and pulling back from positions.
The Marines are being replaced by an Iraqi force that is largely made up of former soldiers.
US officials say the Fallujah Brigade will crack down on hard-core guerrillas in the city even though the force itself will likely include some of the gunmen involved in fighting against the Marines.
Since Friday, masked and armed insurgents have moved freely in the city’s streets, sometimes standing alongside Iraqi policemen.
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