Najaf residents flee fighting as aid agencies move in

Residents in the southern holy city of Najaf, told to leave the besieged city by US troops, appear to be staying with relatives in the nearby city of Karbala, an International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) spokesman told IRIN on Wednesday. ICRC officials and other aid agencies are sending medical kits and food to the region for civilians trapped in the fighting, said Ahmed al-Rawi, the ICRC spokesman. The Najaf health directorate requested medical supplies, which are being sent today, al-Rawi said. “People are fleeing Najaf by the river to Karbala, but we don’t have a clear image of what is going on as yet,” said al-Rawi. “I think in the next two days, we’ll get an answer and see what we can provide.” The streets were deserted in Najaf - many residents apparently already have fled, he said. Fighting has intensified in recent days after almost a week of clashes between the Mehdi army and US-led Coalition troops in the southern city and in Sadr City, a northeast suburb of Baghdad. Although there are no accurate statistics on the total number of deaths and injuries, an estimated 360 Mehdi army fighters have been killed in clashes since Thursday with Coalition troops. In addition, four US soldiers have been killed and 19 wounded. Four Iraqi National Guard soldiers were also killed and two wounded, according to figures from Coalition forces. There are no reliable statistics on civilian casualties as yet. Mehdi army fighters are loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada Sadr, who is wanted in connection with the murder of a rival. The latest fighting ended a truce brokered to end previous fighting with Mehdi forces in May and June. It appears to have started after US and Iraqi forces surrounded Sadr’s home in Najaf. “Activities are continuing in Najaf to remove the masked men with guns,” said Sabah Kadim, interior ministry spokesman. “We don’t believe in negotiations. There have been a lot of attempts in the last few months (at negotiations) and this hasn’t worked.” Islamic Relief, a British-based NGO, sent a colleague to Najaf to assess the situation. Muslim Hands, another British-based aid agency, also is trying to get more information, Nawfal al-Rawi told IRIN on Wednesday. Most international aid agencies are currently working from neighbouring Amman, Jordan, because of the danger involved in working as a foreigner in Iraq. Almost daily kidnappings and car bombs have abated slightly during the fighting. At the same time, in Baghdad, fighting in Sadr City, northeast of the city, spread to the street in front of the oil ministry, where workers watched US troops and Iraqi police take up positions downstairs from their offices in the more than 15-story building, said Akhmad Mukhtar, director general of foreign relations at the trade ministry, which is also housed in the building. Business appeared to be continuing as normal on other streets around the capital, however, following a warning by Mehdi militia on TV that anyone violating a curfew by its members could be killed. “They are making hollow announcements,” Kadim said. “You can see people continuing and are in the streets and in restaurants.”