.Fierce Gunbattles Erupt in Iraq
KARBALA, Iraq (AP) - Fierce gunbattles broke out Tuesday between armed supporters of an anti-U.S. Shiite cleric and Iraqi security forces after a raid on his office in this southern holy city, leaving many people injured, officials and witnesses said.
The two sides exchanged gunfire near one of Iraq's holiest shrines containing the mausoleum of Imam Hussein, a revered figure in Shiite history.
At least two soldiers lay motionless on the street, apparently shot. Minutes later, other soldiers lifted their limp bodies and ferried them away in trucks. It was not clear if they were alive. Four other soldiers also suffered gunshot wounds, but were on their feet.
The fighting, which began early Tuesday, spread to at least four other parts of Karbala by afternoon in violation of a curfew. Gunmen in civilian clothes could be seen firing AK-47 rifles, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades at army patrols and running away.
Soldiers fired indiscriminately at groups of gunmen roaming the streets.
The violence started after Iraqi soldiers raided the office of cleric Mahmoud al-Hassani before dawn, apparently because his supporters had taken over a field behind the building for security reasons, said Ahmed al-Ghazali, an aide to the cleric.
He claimed the soldiers opened fire but the cleric's supporters did not respond. Army officials could not be immediately reached to confirm the claim.
Al-Ghazali said that later in the day, armed supporters of al-Hassani attacked police stations and police checkpoints.
An indefinite curfew was imposed in Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, after the clashes, said Ghalib al-Daami, a member of the Karbala provincial council.
"We have asked for extra forces from neighboring provinces to control the situation after clashes erupted between al-Hassani's supporters and the security forces," he told The Associated Press. He said security forces would arrest anyone carrying weapons.
But the troops appeared incapable of making any arrests as the militiamen openly violated the curfew and attacked security forces.
MyWay
The two sides exchanged gunfire near one of Iraq's holiest shrines containing the mausoleum of Imam Hussein, a revered figure in Shiite history.
At least two soldiers lay motionless on the street, apparently shot. Minutes later, other soldiers lifted their limp bodies and ferried them away in trucks. It was not clear if they were alive. Four other soldiers also suffered gunshot wounds, but were on their feet.
The fighting, which began early Tuesday, spread to at least four other parts of Karbala by afternoon in violation of a curfew. Gunmen in civilian clothes could be seen firing AK-47 rifles, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades at army patrols and running away.
Soldiers fired indiscriminately at groups of gunmen roaming the streets.
The violence started after Iraqi soldiers raided the office of cleric Mahmoud al-Hassani before dawn, apparently because his supporters had taken over a field behind the building for security reasons, said Ahmed al-Ghazali, an aide to the cleric.
He claimed the soldiers opened fire but the cleric's supporters did not respond. Army officials could not be immediately reached to confirm the claim.
Al-Ghazali said that later in the day, armed supporters of al-Hassani attacked police stations and police checkpoints.
An indefinite curfew was imposed in Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, after the clashes, said Ghalib al-Daami, a member of the Karbala provincial council.
"We have asked for extra forces from neighboring provinces to control the situation after clashes erupted between al-Hassani's supporters and the security forces," he told The Associated Press. He said security forces would arrest anyone carrying weapons.
But the troops appeared incapable of making any arrests as the militiamen openly violated the curfew and attacked security forces.
MyWay
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