Mahdi Army declares holy war

najafhelicopter

“We will wage jihad and war against the foreign troops, not against police and Iraqi forces,” said Sheikh Saad al-Basri, al-Sadr’s representative in the largely Shi’ite city. [Basrah]

“However, if Iraqi personnel fight on the side of the occupiers, we will strike them harshly.”

The fiercest fighting in weeks is under way in the Iraqi city of Najaf — where a U.S. helicopter has been hit.

The chopper went down and injured crew members have been evacuated. A military spokesman says no one was killed in the crash — but the crew suffered injuries. The number of wounded is not known yet.

The battles between cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army and U.S.-Iraqi forces have killed two people.

Officials say the helicopter went down as Shiite militiamen fought Iraqi and U.S. forces. Health Ministry officials say at least eight people were wounded in the clashes.

Officials say Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army sparked the fighting by attacking a police station with mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire.

Residents say U.S. Marines joined the fight to help police.