Around 60 killed during clashes in Iraq

Nine Coalition soldiers and more than 50 Iraqis have been killed after a day of serious disorder in the southern Iraqi city of Najaf – the reverberations from which are now threatening to engulf Basra, Nasiriya and Baghdad.

The violence began yesterday afternoon after a 150-strong crowd gathered close to a Coalition base in Kufa, near Najaf, to protest over the arrest of an aide to Muqtader al-Sadr.

Al-Sadr is a popular hardline Shia cleric who is bitterly opposed to the Coalition's intervention in the country. At present it is unclear whether the cleric's aide had indeed been arrested.

Gunfire erupted when protesters pressed close to perimeter fencing and stones were thrown.

During the three-hour long gun battle that followed, a US soldier and a Salvadoran were killed and nine others were injured. More than 20 protesters were killed during the exchange.

Later in Baghdad, it has been reported that seven US soldiers were killed in a neighbourhood known as Sadr City. The troops came under fire from militiamen secreted on rooftops; and during the exchange at least 25 Iraqis were killed.

British troops in Amarah also came under attack from protesters. No British soldiers were injured but it thought that four Iraqis were killed during the clashes.

Elsewhere, Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Adviser, Lakhdar Brahimi, has arrived in Iraq to help with preparing for elections by 31 January 2005.

Last month, Mr Annan received letters from both Iraqi leaders and officials of the United States-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) asking for UN assistance with the transfer of sovereignty at the end of June and with preparations for elections before the end of January 2005.

(gmcg)