(Guardian-UK) Fighters loyal to the Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr had largely abandoned Najaf's Imam Ali shrine Tuesday before an American offensive. Sources said the majority of the militiamen slipped out of the complex five days ago. "We are cleverer than the Americans think. Anybody who stays behind is likely to be killed," one source said. Many fighters appeared to be regrouping in the neighboring town of Kufa, having been told that the battle for the shrine has effectively been lost.
2004-08-26 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive