Karbala Mosque under US Besiege

Politics | May 12, 2004, Wednesday // 00:00

The US military attacked a mosque in this holy city late Tuesday in its largest assault yet against the forces of the rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

The attack was carried out even as signs emerged of a peaceful resolution to the five-week-long standoff with him. The strike on the Mukhaiyam Mosque brought hundreds of US soldiers and their armored vehicles closely to two of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam, the ornate shrines of the martyrs Hussein and Abbas.

Reportedly, US troops have killed 13 members of Mehdi Army in the skirmishes near Kufa overnight. Another 14 militiamen were captured in the town.

Until now, US forces had kept out of Karbala and nearby Najaf, another holy city, out of fear of further inflaming Iraqis against the occupying forces.

Karbala is part of the Polish-controlled zone in Iraq where a 480-strong Bulgarian infantry unit is also deployed.

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