Najaf
latest news & developments
Iraq: more than a month of anti-regime protests
Demands for the government to resign have led to deadly clashes since October 1
Al-Sadr group announces deal to end Baghdad fighting
The movement of radical Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Saturday it had struck a deal with the Iraqi government to end fighting in its Baghdad stronghold of Sadr City.…
Iraq’s al-Sadr to disband militia if clerics give order
Iraqi Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr will consult senior religious leaders and disband his Mehdi Army militia if they instruct him to, a senior aide said on Monday. The surprise…
Iraq’s al-Sadr threatens ‘civil revolt’
Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called on Iraqis to stage sit-ins and threatened a countrywide ”civil revolt” if attacks by United States and Iraqi security forces continue…
New blow to faltering Iraq political process
The movement of radical Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Saturday it would withdraw from the Shi’ite bloc that leads the Iraqi government, in a new blow to the faltering…
Iraq’s al-Sadr suspends militia activities
Iraq’s radical Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday ordered his Mehdi Army militia to suspend its activities for six months in a bid to reorganise the militant group. ”I…
Baghdad under curfew while Iraqis protest
Baghdad was under curfew on Monday, the fourth anniversary of the fall of the capital to United States forces, as Iraqis gathered in the city of Najaf for a big anti-US protest…
Car bomb hits holy city as Iraq war rages on
Bombers and gunmen launched bloody attacks in several Iraqi cities on Wednesday, killing more than 20 people on the day Britain and Denmark announced they would begin withdrawing…
More than 30 killed in suicide blast in Iraq
A suicide bomber killed at least 35 people and wounded over 90 near a sacred Shi’ite shrine in the southern Iraqi city of Najaf on Thursday, hospital sources said. They said the…
Thousands protest US presence in Iraq
Thousands of Shi’ites, many waving Islam’s holy book over their heads, protested the United States-led occupation in Iraq on Thursday, setting off clashes in at least one…
Iraqi leaders defiant after twin bombings
Iraqi Shi’ite leaders braced on Monday for greater violence but vowed to push ahead with elections in January after twin car bombs claimed the lives of 66 people in the…
Uneasy peace in rubble of Najaf
The noise of the two Black Hawk helicopters shattered the eerie silence that on Saturday had enveloped the city of Najaf. On board were a team of five Iraqi ministers led by…
Top cleric in Najaf to end fighting
Iraq’s top Shi’ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini al-Sistani, arrived at the gates of the holy city of Najaf on Thursday in a bid to end weeks of fighting between United…
Al-Sadr dangles keys to shrine
Followers loyal to radical Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Friday they were prepared to hand control of the revered Imam Ali Shrine to top Shi’ite religious authorities in…
Mortar rounds slam into Iraq police station
A barrage of mortar rounds slammed into a police station in the holy city of Najaf on Thursday, killing at least seven police officers and wounding 31 others, a hospital official…