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May 19, 2004 Fighting Continues in Holy Iraq City Despite Protest by Shiites By EDWARD WONG KARBALA, Iraq, May 19 — Hundreds of people marched through the streets of this holy city today to protest fighting between American forces and militiamen loyal to a rebel Shiite cleric. Battles continued near revered shrines in the downtown area. The protesters had gathered at the behest of the office of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most influential cleric in Iraq. The ayatollah`s office here called Tuesday for a demonstration against the presence of both American and insurgent forces in the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf. The ayatollah issued a statement the same day demanding a military withdrawal from the cities. It is the strongest criticism Ayatollah Sistani has made against the bloody fighting in recent weeks, though no commanders on either side have heeded him. The crowd in Karbala numbered from 200 to 300 and gathered in the morning at the Hussein Hospital. It was significantly smaller than protests over other issues the ayatollah had called for before, possibly because of the firefights raging in the middle of this city. As the protesters marched toward the golden-domed Shrine of Hussein, they asked that tribal sheiks and police forces be given responsibility for security in this city. American F-16 fighter jets swooped overhead as the marchers spilled into the streets. For more than two weeks, the First Armored Division has been fighting insurgents led by Moktada al-Sadr, the 31-year-old rebel cleric who lives in Najaf. The battles here have crept closer and closer to two of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam, the Shrine of Hussein and the Shrine of Abbas, dedicated to revered Shiite martyrs. Early Monday morning, an American AC-130 gunship fired 40-millimeter cannon shells at a group of insurgents clustered about 160 feet from the Shrine of Hussein. Today, American tanks were parked about 600 feet from the shrine. One Iraqi witness said they appeared to be encircling it. There were firefights throughout the day in the alleyways of the downtown area, where American forces have holed up in the Mukhaiyam Mosque, which soldiers occupied on May 12 after a pitched battled with insurgents in the area. The mosque now comes under daily attack from militiamen launching mortar rounds and rocket-propelled grenades. At least eight insurgents were killed in the fighting, said Capt. Noel Gorospe, a spokesman for the First Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment of the First Armored Division. There were no American casualties, he said. Polish forces also fought militiamen. For the first time, the Americans called in F-16`s to fly over the area and provide surveillance. They did not fire on any targets, Captain Gorospe said. By evening, insurgents had fired at least three mortar rounds and 13 rocket-propelled grenades at American soldiers, the captain said. He added that soldiers came under sniper fire five times. One especially skilled sniper has killed two American soldiers and wounded four since the American forces took over the Mukhaiyam Mosque. In total, four American soldiers have been killed and at least 52 wounded during the two-week offensive against Mr. Sadr`s forces here. The battle for Karbala is the fiercest fighting in Iraq at the moment, and it is certainly the most intense fighting the soldiers of the First Armored Division have taken part in since they arrived last May. The battle zone poses enormous risks for the American forces. There is the potential for damage to the shrines, which could anger Shiite Muslims around the world. Insurgents have grouped around the shrines, especially around the Shrine of Hussein, in hopes that the Americans will hold their fire or damage the shrines. Col. Pete Mansoor, commander of the First Brigade of the First Armored Division, said rocket-propelled grenades have been fired at tanks at least once from the Shrine of Hussein. A Predator drone flying overhead at the time recorded the projectiles originating from the shrine, he said. But today, it appeared that the Mahdi Army had been barred from entering the shrine by armed guards appointed by the offices of the marjaiah, the four grand ayatollahs living in Najaf. Mahdi fighters stood about 150 feet from the Shrine of Hussein, while about 80 men armed with automatic rifles and working for the Shrines Protection Force stood inside the two central shrines. The wide plaza separating the two shrines was relatively empty, though it is usually thronged with Shiite pilgrims. Some residents of the area have barricaded themselves in their homes for two weeks as the fighting has raged. Men working to maintain the shrines have retreated from the plaza into the shrines to seek shelter. Members of the Badr Organization, the armed wing of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, a powerful Shiite political party, were nowhere to be seen. American commanders said the group had promised to secure the shrines. But the group apparently is not popular among residents of Karbala and would have little support if it went into battle against the Mahdi Army. An Iraqi employee of The New York Times contributed reporting for this article. Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company |
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| aus der Diskussion: | Guten Morgen Mr. Bush |
| Autor (Datum des Eintrages): | Joerver (20.05.04 00:06:40) |
| Beitrag: | 16,598 von 35,423 (ID:13185710) |
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