20 August 2004 -- U.S. warplanes and forces hit positions overnight held by radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his militiamen in and around the Imam Ali Mosque.
Reporters in the area described the bombing as some of the heaviest in the two-week standoff in Al-Najaf.
Earlier yesterday, interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi issued a "final call" for the insurgents in Al-Najaf to disarm and said he was still prepared to accept a truce from al-Sadr.
Meanwhile, in the Sunni Muslim city of Al-Fallujah, U.S. warplanes bombed suspected insurgent positions. U.S. warplanes have bombed targets in Al-Fallujah almost daily over the past week.
Elsewhere, suspected al-Sadr militants set fire to the headquarters of Iraq's South Oil Company in Al-Basrah.
For the latest news on Iraq, see RFE/RL's webpage on "The New Iraq".
Factbox: Iraq's Holy City of Al-Najaf
(AP/Reuters/BBC)
Earlier yesterday, interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi issued a "final call" for the insurgents in Al-Najaf to disarm and said he was still prepared to accept a truce from al-Sadr.
Meanwhile, in the Sunni Muslim city of Al-Fallujah, U.S. warplanes bombed suspected insurgent positions. U.S. warplanes have bombed targets in Al-Fallujah almost daily over the past week.
Elsewhere, suspected al-Sadr militants set fire to the headquarters of Iraq's South Oil Company in Al-Basrah.
For the latest news on Iraq, see RFE/RL's webpage on "The New Iraq".
Factbox: Iraq's Holy City of Al-Najaf
(AP/Reuters/BBC)