Najaf news stories on Newser

56 Killed in Blasts Across Iraq

Matt Cantor — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 06:15:10 CDT

Bombs struck more than a dozen Iraqi cities this morning, killing 56 and wounding dozens more. The coordinated explosions mark the first major violence in a comparatively peaceful month of Ramadan, the AP notes; the violence comes as as officials debate whether to maintain a US presence in the country...

Sadr City Fight Kills 13; Insurgents Vow to Fight On

Wesley Oliver — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 12:57:01 CDT

US and Iraqi forces clashed with Shiite insurgents in fierce fighting overnight near Baghdad’s Sadr City, Reuters reports, as authorities lifted a blockade in some areas that had been stifling the region. At least 13 militiamen loyal to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr were killed in the clashes in the Iraqi slum,...

Death of Sadr Aide Sparks Battles in Baghdad

Harry Kimball — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 20:02:39 CDT

The murder of a Moqtada al-Sadr aide triggered heavy fighting in Baghdad today after al-Sadr’s men attacked US and Iraqi forces, Reuters reports. The cleric blamed “the hand of the occupier” for the death of Riyadh al-Nuri, a close relative, and vowed not to forget “this precious blood.” A US...

Anti-American Protests Mark Iraqi Anniversary

Peter Fearon — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 06:49:14 CDT

Tens of thousands of Iraqis converged today on the southern city of Najaf, a Shia shrine, to mark the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. Waving Iraqi flags and chanting anti-U.S. slogans, demonstators marched from Kufa to neighboring Najaf. AP reports that two cordons of Iraqi police lined...

Al-Sadr Preaches Peace — But Not Toward U.S.

Caroline Miller — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 17:56:47 CDT

Firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on Iraqis Sunday to stop killing each other—and join together to rid their country of Americans. On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad, he urged both Iraqi forces and insurgents to direct their fight against "the occupiers," CNN reported.