En hemmelig gruppe i Najaf har drept fem medlemmer av Moqtada al-Sadrs Mahdi-milits. Befolkningen er fed up av prestens mobb.

In another development the Americans were watching, reports from inside Najaf said the growing anger of residents there against Mr. Sadr and his men, who have sown a pattern of lawlessness since their uprising in the city began this month, had taken a startling new turn, with a shadowy group killing at least five militiamen on Sunday and Monday.

Those reports, from residents who reached relatives in Baghdad by telephone, said the killers called themselves the Thulfiqar Army, after a two-bladed sword that Shiite tradition says was used by the patron saint of Shia, Imam Ali, the martyred son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. The group distributed leaflets in Najaf threatening to kill members of Mr. Sadr’s Mahdi Army unless they fled Najaf immediately, according to accounts.

Amerikanske fly drepte 43 Mahdi-milits ved en checkpoint utenfor byen.

I Fallujah er det verre. Der brukte opprørerne minareten som utkikkspunkt for å skyte på amerikanerne med RPG. En amerikaner ble drept og flere såret. Helikoptre ble kalt inn, og minareten ble ødelagt.

Fierce Battle at Falluja Mosque Further Dims Hopes for Accord
By JOHN F. BURNS

Published: April 27, 2004