U.S. Forces Fighting Insurgents In Karbala, Al-Najaf

13 May 2004 -- U.S. soldiers continue to battle militants loyal to wanted cleric Muqtada al-Sadr around Iraq's Shi'ite holy cities of Karbala and Al-Najaf.
Hospital officials in Najaf say at least two Iraqis were killed and six others wounded in fighting overnight.

In fighting in Karbala, the U.S. military said yesterday that American forces backed by tanks, jets, and helicopters killed at least 22 militants and that six U.S. soldiers were injured. A part of the city's Mukhaiyam Mosque, which served as a base for the militants, was reported destroyed in the fighting.

In Baghdad today, one U.S. soldier was killed and another wounded when a bomb exploded next to a military convoy.

(AP/AFP)