May 28, 2004 – US forces battled members of Muqtada Al-Sadr’s Mehdi militia in the cities of Najaf and Kufa early Friday, reportedly killing five Iraqis and wounding 14 others, despite the announcement yesterday that the two sides had agreed to a truce. In Kufa, aides to Al-Sadr accused US troops of moving in to arrest or kill the rebel Shi’ite cleric, who reportedly struck a deal Thursday in which he would remove his forces from both Kufa and Najaf if US forces also pulled out. "US troops attacked us at about seven this morning," said an aide to Al-Sadr, adding that Mehdi fighters "have been committed to the ceasefire." A US military spokesperson blamed Al-Sadr’s forces for starting the battle, saying Mehdi fighters attacked a US patrol, wounding two soldiers. An Iraqi journalist working for the Iranian news agency IRNA said Mehdi fighters opened fire with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades when three US tanks advanced towards the center of Kufa. The tanks reportedly stopped about 500 yards from the mosque where Al-Sadr normally gives Friday sermons. Al-Sadr did not appear at the mosque today, relying instead on an aide to read a sermon peppered with criticisms of President Bush as well as ranking Shi’ite clerics.
