U.S. Marines patrol a street during fighting in Najaf, August 8, 2004. The clashes between U.S. troops and men loyal to Shi'ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have killed hundreds of people and challenged the authority of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. Iraq (news - web sites)'s interim prime minister ordered Shi'ite fighters to lay down their weapons and leave Najaf on Sunday, but the militiamen fortified their positions around an ancient cemetery with mines. Najaf, 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, is the holiest Shi'ite city in Iraq. REUTERS/Akram Saleh
Shi'ite militiamen keep watch for U.S. and Iraqi security forces in Najaf, August 8, 2004. The clashes between U.S. troops and men loyal to Shi'ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have killed hundreds of people and challenged the authority of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. Iraq (news - web sites)'s interim prime minister ordered Shi'ite fighters to lay down their weapons and leave Najaf on Sunday, but the militiamen fortified their positions around an ancient cemetery with mines. REUTERS/Akram Saleh
