- Title: IRAQ: NAJAF SHOPKEEPERS SAY FIGHTING BAD FOR BUSINESS.
- Date: 15th May 2004
- Summary: (W5) NAJAF, IRAQ (MAY 15,2004) (REUTERS) 1. WIDE OF A STREET AND DAMAGED HOUSES 2. WIDE OF DAMAGED HOUSE 3. BROKEN WINDOW 4. INTERIORS OF DAMAGED HOUSE 5. BURNT OUT ROOM 6. WOMAN SHOUTING WE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH POLITICS WE ARE POOR FAMILIES 7. DAMAGED ROOM 8. DAMAGED SHOPS 9. VARIO
- Embargoed: 30th May 2004 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: NAJAF, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Reuters ID: LVAYQTM4TTN8W6H22N1MEU3BS67
- Story Text: Shopkeepers in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf say the
fighting between Shi'ite guerrillas and U.S. forces is bad
for business.
The Iraqi holy city of Najaf is heavily dependent
on business from pilgrims who have stopped coming to the
city due to the heavy fighting betwee U.S. forces and
militias loyal to rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
Shopkeepers on Saturday (May 15) said many of their
shops had either been destroyed in the fighting or they
were forced to close up because there was no one to sell to.
Although it was relatively quiet in the morning,
clashes were reported to have begun afresh on Saturday
afternoon.
The holy city bore the marks of the heavy fighting with
several houses damaged and businesses destroyed.
U.S. forces on Friday entered the vast cemetery to
blast their positions on what is considered sacred ground
for Shi'ites.
The dome of Imam Ali mosque was also slightly damaged
during the fighting.
" We need solution from Americans or from anyone,
what's the best solution? You can see this market empty,
those shops closed now and people need lot of things what
we can do," said Salah Hassan, a local resident.
Officials said four people were killed in the
fighting and 26 wounded, most of them civilians caught in
the crossfire. Many more people were believed to have been
killed in the cemetery, but their bodies had yet to be
collected.
At least seven U.S. tanks thrust deep into the
cemetery, a city within a city covering several square kms
(miles) where Shi'ites from all over the world wish to be
buried within sight of Najaf's sacred shrines.
An aide to top Shi'ite Muslim cleric Grand
Ayatollah Ali Sistani called on both U.S. forces and Sadr's
militiamen to cease fighting and leave the holy city.
Paul Bremer, the U.S. governor of Iraq, did raise
the possibility of a U.S. pullout. "If the provisional
government asks us to leave we will leave," he said of a post-June 30 administration after the handover of
sovereignty.
In Washington, some Western powers pressed the
United States to transfer real power to Baghdad on June 30,
a transfer which critics say allows only limited self-rule.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None