"Iraqi police deny taking over Shiite shrine"

http://www.cnn.com/ -- main page right now

story link
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/08/20/iraq.main/index.html

pretty funny. and i'm immature.

hahahahaha.....

Iraqi police deny taking control of Imam Ali Mosque
Standoff continues at Shiite shrine
Friday, August 20, 2004 Posted: 12:01 PM EDT (1601 GMT)



Supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr rally Thursday inside the Imam Ali Mosque.


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CNN's Kianne Sadeq finds defiance inside the Imam Ali Mosque.

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NAJAF, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi police in Najaf told CNN they have not seized control of the Imam Ali Mosque, contrary to a claim by an Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman in Baghdad.

There have been no signs of activity around the mosque all day Friday, according to CNN producer Kianne Sadeq, who is near the mosque.

A series of confusing reports began Friday when Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman Sabah Kadhim said Iraqi police seized the mosque.

But U.S. officials at the Pentagon said there is no sense that supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have pulled out of the mosque; and that U.S. and Iraqi forces still surround it.

And a senior aide to al-Sadr said the Medhi Army has not yet handed over the keys to the mosque since no high religious authority has been found to take them.

U.S. and Iraqi forces had surrounded the mosque in an effort to pressure al-Sadr's fighters, who were holed up in the complex.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Ministry of Health officials said 77 Iraqis were killed and 70 were wounded overnight in heavy fighting.

The dead included six Iraqi police officers.

Recent fighting in the city center has damaged the mosque and two of its minarets, according to a CNN producer who visited the compound.

Al-Sadr had refused to negotiate on the latest Iraqi government ultimatum because, an aide said, he and his forces want to deal with the Iraqi National Conference delegation and not the interim government.

Militants loyal to al-Sadr were inside the mosque, and Iraqi officials had threatened to "liberate" the mosque in a military offensive if the forces don't leave.

"We are very determined that blood loss should be minimized," interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said.

Sadeq, who went inside the mosque compound Thursday with a group of journalists, reported persistent sounds of mortars, gunfire and explosions. She said there was also a great deal of sniper fire.

The journalists were greeted by the Mehdi Army with cheers and chants of "We will not stand down!" Fighters flashed pictures of al-Sadr and many danced. Also inside the compound were women and children, most of whom appeared in a festive mood like the rest of the al-Sadr followers. (On the Scene: Inside the mosque)

Homes and businesses around the compound were heavily damaged. The streets were empty, and Sadeq described the area as a virtual ghost town.

"Everything outside of the mosque seems to be totaled," Sadeq said.

The Iraqi Ministry of Health also said Friday that fighting in Baghdad overnight had killed 13 Iraqis and wounded 107, with most of the casualties happening in Sadr City, the Iraqi Ministry of Health said. The area is a Shiite neighborhood and a focus for the activities of al-Sadr supporters.

Airstrikes in Falluja
U.S. airstrikes on antiaircraft positions in Falluja on Friday killed at least five Iraqis, according to a hospital official in the city.

Lt. Col. Thomas Johnson with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force said the airstrikes targeted sites that were firing on U.S. aircraft.

The first strike happened around 1 a.m. (5 p.m. Thursday ET) in the western district of al-Sina'i, killing two people and wounding four others.

The second took place about 10 hours later and resulted in large secondary explosions, Johnson said, suggesting a weapons depot was near the antiaircraft position.

A Falluja hospital official told a different story, saying the airstrike hit a milk factory, killing three Iraqis and wounding two others.

Earlier, a U.S. C-130 gunship fired on insurgents in eastern Falluja, after insurgents fired small arms and antiaircraft weapons at the gunship overnight Thursday.

They were also seen firing mortars at a U.S. military base there. Minutes later, the C-130 dropped bombs in the industrial and military neighborhoods, a CNN stringer reported.