US troops fought Shia fighters in Najaf yesterday leaving several dozen rebel fighters dead and seizing a militia commander.
A senior military official in Baghdad said just under 50 militiamen were killed in the overnight and pre-dawn fighting, although he declined to give a specific number.
Witnesses said about 30 people were also wounded in the operation against fighters loyal to rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who launched an uprising against US forces across southern Iraq and in areas of Baghdad about six weeks ago. In overnight fighting in the Baghdad suburb of Sadr City, where the cleric has a strong following, the official said slightly fewer than 20 militiamen were killed.
A spokesman for al-Sadr, said a close aide and relative of the cleric, Riyad al-Noury, was seized in a night raid on his home in Najaf. Three other aides evaded capture in similar operations.
The cemetery in Najaf is now a major hideout for al-Sadr's fighters in the city, home to some of the holiest shrines in Shiite Islam.
US-led forces have been battling the militia in Sadr City, Najaf and the nearby town of Kufa, where al-Sadr regularly preaches at Friday prayers, for several weeks. While many militiamen have been killed, US forces have suffered very few losses.
In Kerbala, another holy city south of Baghdad, fighting has largely died down after several tense weeks.
The US-led authorities in Iraq want to arrest al-Sadr in connection with the murder of another Shia cleric and are trying to end his rebellion before an Iraqi government formally takes over sovereignty on June 30th.