US troops today postponed a planned offensive against Shiite militiamen they have been battling for a week in the holy city of Najaf, as the militants' leader, cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, urged his followers to battle on even if he is killed.
Fighting persisted in the vast cemetery near Najaf's holiest site, the Imam Ali Shrine, where US commanders say Mahdi Army militiamen have been holed up. Gunbattles between militants and coalition forces in two other southern cities killed 18 people.
Marines had said earlier today they were training Iraqi security forces in preparation to launch a major assault. But later, a Marine commander said the offensive was postponed. No timeframe was given.
"Preparations to do the offensive are taking longer than initially anticipated," US Marine Maj. David Holahan. "It doesn't matter now, they know we're coming."
It was not known whether commanders were planning a raid into the Imam Ali Shrine, an action that could enrage Iraq's Shiite majority and Shiites worldwide. Najaf's governor has given US troops permission to enter the shrine compound.