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April 10, 2003
Battlefield overview: Najaf, Baghdad, Kirkuk and western Iraq
AP via Anchorage Daily News >> Roundup of today's events in Iraq. A crowd in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf hacked to death two clerics from rival Shiite Muslim factions, a stark demonstration of the potential for civilian violence U.S. troops have yet to control and political unrest they may yet face. Here's a summary of reports about units in those positions, followed by other battlefield developments. The reports are culled from official assessments and from journalists of The Associated Press and member news organizations traveling with American units in Iraq. NAJAF - Clerics Haider al-Kadar, part of Saddam's Ministry of Religion, and Abdul Majid al-Khoei, a prominent Saddam opponent who recently returned from exile, were killed by an angry crowd infuriated over al-Kadar's presence in one of the Shiite's holiest places. A meeting between the two men had been arranged as a demonstration of reconciliation for postwar Iraq. Al-Khoei, the son of one of Shiite Islam's most prominent spiritual leaders, had urged cooperation with U.S. troops. The crowd rushed the clerics after al-Khoei - apparently feeling pressure from the angry crowd - pulled a gun and fired one or two shots either into the air, or in the crowd. U.S. troops were not in time to prevent the slayings because of a deal they struck with locals to stay away from the mosque. BAGHDAD - U.S. forces battled holdout fighters Thursday at the Azimiyah Palace and the Imam Mosque in the capital's northern reaches, with one Marine killed and up to 20 wounded. Four marines were wounded in an apparent suicide attack at a checkpoint. The suicide attack occurred near Saddam City, a sprawling, poor neighborhood that is home to a large Shiite population in the eastern part of Baghdad. Marine Capt. Joe Plenzler said "a man strapped with explosives approached a Marine checkpoint and detonated himself." Maj. Gen. Gene Renuart, director of operations at Central Command in Qatar, said those resisting the U.S troops were captured or killed, but he provided no details. Baghdad is now completely encircled by U.S. forces, Renuart said, but "is still an ugly place." Widespread looting continued. - At least two explosions rocked the southern end of the Old Palace presidential compound Thursday evening, starting several small fires. U.S. Army troops occupying the compound appeared to return fire with tank cannons. There was no report of casualties. NORTH OF THE CAPITAL - Kurdish fighters, U.S. special forces, and elements of the Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade roamed oil-rich Kirkuk unchallenged, bringing the northern front within about 60 miles of Saddam's hometown of Tikrit. Coalition leaders had feared Iraqi forces might set Kirkuk's oil fields ablaze, but the worry never materialized. Only one well fire burned near Kirkuk and it was not known if it was caused by fighting or sabotage. The United States - mindful of Turkish opposition to a Kurdish takeover of Kirkuk - had asked Kurdish forces not to enter the city of 100,000, a senior Pentagon official said. But the Kurds did it anyway, so the U.S. military ordered in Army and special forces elements to accompany them. Secretary of State Colin Powell said he promised Turkey that U.S. troops would replace Kurdish forces in Kirkuk to ease Turkish fears that the Kurds could use the area's oil riches to bolster their desire for an independent Kurdish state. Turkey opposes such a separation for fear it would inspire rebellion among Turkish Kurds. U.S. officials also said die-hard Saddam loyalists in Tikrit were digging in under heavy U.S. air strikes. A WESTERN FRONT - Coalition special forces were monitoring Iraq's border with Syria to prevent Saddam loyalists from escaping and fresh fighters from entering, U.S. officials said. The focus was on Qaim, in far western Iraq, an area where most Iraqi surface-to-surface missiles were fired from during the 1991 Gulf War. Posted By Michele Catalano at April 10, 2003 08:56 PM | TrackBackPost a comment
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