Mahdi Army digs in, hopes for peace deal

Ahmad al-Shibani stressed that any peace move initiated by the interim government - which he branded as a proxy agent of the US occupation of Iraq - would be welcomed by al-Sadr.

"We want to stop the bloodshed, maintain the honour and integrity of the Iraqi people, and bring this crisis to an end," he told Aljazeera.

His comments came a few hours after the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior stated that US occupation forces supported by Iraqi national guardsmen will 'soon' begin a large-scale offensive on Najaf.

In further signs that an attack on Najaf is imminent, Iraqi police forces in the city forced journalists to immediately leave the area. Najaf sources told Aljazeera that some journalists refused to leave and are hiding out in the besieged city.

While US forces have stressed that they will respect the sanctity of the holy shrine of the Imam Ali, Aljazeera is reporting that a single shell breached the outer sanctum of the shrine, hitting an outer wall and killing one Mahdi Army fighter.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6AD83F50-A872-4FFC-95D0-1EE24A7963E9.htm