A US military aircraft hit suspected Shia militant positions in the besieged southern city of Najaf today. Four blasts were heard in the city as an AC-130 plane was heard circling above.
US aircraft have been pounding positions held by militants loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr late at night in a bid to break their resolve and put an end to a standoff that has taken a heavy toll on Najaf.
Sadr's militants are holed up inside the sacred Imam Ali Shia shrine and control alleyways around it. They are under siege by US troops and tanks positioned on streets about a mile from the shrine complex.
They are under siege by US troops and tanks positioned on streets about a mile from the shrine complex. Any raid on the shrine would be likely to enrage millions of Shias in Iraq and abroad.