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Battles rage across Iraq<br>
by <br>
Wednesday 07 April 2004 6:07 AM GMT <br><br>
<b>Almost 300 people have died in clashes and attacks during the last
three days in battles between occupation forces and resistance fighters
including supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr across Iraq.<br><br>
</b></font><font size=2>Some 250 Iraqis have been killed across the
country since clashes erupted on Sunday in the southern city of Najaf
before fighting swept across the country. <br><br>
On Wednesday, 40 Iraqis were killed and scores injured in the city of
Ramadi, Aljazeera correspondent said. The US military confirmed it lost
12 marines in Ramadi on Tuesday when a base came under attack. It was the
deadliest single strike against occupation forces since the start of the
war. <br><br>
The White House quickly declared that the raid would not oust forces from
Iraq. US officials said there were "significant losses" to
resistance fighters, but gave no further details. <br><br>
Also on Wednesday, two US soldiers were killed in separate attacks one in
Baghad and one in Balad, north of the capital.<br>
During the past three days US forces have lost 33 soldiers. A Ukrainian
and Salvadoran were also killed. <br><br>
<b>Causalities<br><br>
</b>In the restive town of Falluja, at least 105 people were killed in
the past 24 hours, including women and children, aljazeera correspondent
said.<br><br>
Four Iraqis died overnight in fresh clashes between occupation soldiers
and al-Sadr loyalists in al-Sadr City, a stronghold of the Shia leader in
a Baghdad suburb. Another three Iraqi civilians died of injuries
sustained in earlier fighting. <br><br>
In the southern city of Karbala, Polish troops killed the head of
al-Sadr's office.<br><br>
Earlier, US military officials said they would "destroy"
al-Sadr's al-Mahdi army. US Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt also called on
al-Sadr to turn himself in to face murder charges, and help end the
violence. <br><br>
Also, in the southern city of Kut, a South African working for a British
security company was killed by al-Mahdi militiamen, reported sources from
the occupation forces.<br><br>
The sources said he had died when the house he was living in with other
contractors was attacked by Shia militia. <br><br>
<br>
Kut has been the scene of violent clashes for the past three <br>
days between Shia militiamen and forces of the US-led occupation.
<br><br>
In Tikrit, north of Baghdad, a US military base was hit by Katyusha
rockets. "Columns of smoke were seen in the site of the attack but
no casualties among the occupation troops were reported," said our
correspondent in Tikrit.<br><br>
<b>Retreat<br><br>
</b>Beleaguered Bulgarian troops called for US reinforcements in Karbala
where pitched battles have been fought. And Ukrainian forces, on their
part, have pulled out of Kut, the latest southern battle front with
al-Sadr supporters. <br><br>
<br><br>
Five Iranians and three Iraqi civilians were killed when occupation
soldiers opened fire on their vehicle near a checkpoint in the holy city.
<br><br>
Scores of Iraqi civilians have been killed and wounded by occupation fire
since fighting broke out in the southern city of Najaf, before sweeping
to Falluja, Ramadi, Nasiriya, Amara, Baghdad, Karbala, Kut, Kirkuk and
Baquba. <br><br>
And near the northern city of Kirkuk US occupation soldiers killed eight
Iraqis, including a child, and injured 12 others in an exchange of
gunfire during a demonstration to protest against US attacks on the
besieged town of Falluja.<br><br>
Some 1500 protesters in Hawija denounced what they described as the US
massacres in Falluja, where almost 90 people, mainly civilians, have been
killed in the past three days. US forces have sealed off Falluja for
three days now in an effort to crush the resistance
there.</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>In Baquba, a US helicopter landed "after taking
fire," reported US army. There were no reports of
casualties.</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>The latest fighting is the first time that some Shia
factions have taken up arms against occupation troops. <br><br>
Al-Sadr ordered his loyalists to join the resistance after Spanish forces
opened fire on demonstrators in Najaf, killing at least 20 Iraqis and
wounding scores. <br><br>
Protesters had been calling for the release of al-Sadr's aide, Mustafa
al-Yaqubi, detained by occupation forces last weekend. They were also
protesting the closure by occupation authorities of a pro-al-Sadr
newspaper, al-Hawza. <br><br>
<b>More resistance?<br><br>
</b>Until Sunday, Shia leaders have ordered followers to cooperate with
the occupation and "resist peacefully". Iraq's leading Shia
cleric Iranian-born Grand Ayat Allah Ali al-Sistani has ordered followers
not to take up arms. <br><br>
<br>
However, al-Sadr lacks religious education and credibility and bases his
religious authority on his lineage. <br><br>
He is the son of Grand Ayat Allah Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr, a prominent
Iraqi Shia leader who was killed in 1999 along with two of his other
sons.<br><br>
His followers will continue to battle occupation forces until troops
withdraw from populated areas and prisoners are released, said an al-Sadr
aide on Tuesday. <br><br>
"This insurrection shows that the Iraqi people are not satisfied
with the occupation and they will not accept oppression," according
to a statement from al-Sadr's office. <br><br>
Al-Sadr decided to end a sit-in at the main mosque in Kufa, near Najaf,
because he feared that the mosque would be raided and defiled by
occupation troops.<br><br>
</font><font size=3><b>Aljazeera + Agencies<br>
By <br><br>
</b>You can find this article at:<br>
<a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/660FF109-9E21-4AF8-BCA3-C39E0FE67917.htm" eudora="autourl">http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/660FF109-9E21-4AF8-BCA3-C39E0FE67917.htm</a>
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