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Muqtada al-Sadr wounded in clashes
Al-Sadr is said to be holed up in Najaf's sacred compound housing the Imam Ali shrine, surrounded by his followers.
Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was wounded in clashes, his spokesman said on Friday.
Al-Sadr is said to be holed up in Najaf's sacred compound housing the Imam Ali shrine, surrounded by his followers. He has led an uprising against coalition troops for more than a week in the city, vowing to fight "until the last drop of my blood has been spilled."
Aide Ahmed al-Shaibany said al-Sadr was wounded in three places during the clashes, but didn't say if the wounds were serious. He said al-Sadr was injured during shelling.
Interior Ministry spokesman Col. Adnan Abdulrahman said he'd received reports al-Sadr was injured in his chest and leg, but could provide no further details
U.S. and Iraqi troops have formed a perimeter around the compound, but have so far made no move to raid it, concerned about touching off an outcry from the Muslim world about desecrating one of Islam's most revered sites.
Another al-Sadr aide, Abdel Hadi al-Daraji, called on Iraqis to demonstrate Friday near the Green Zone in Baghdad, the location of most Iraqi government ministries, as well as the U.S. and British embassies, to protest against the fighting in Najaf. On Thursday U.S. troops stormed al-Sadr's house in Najaf, only to find it empty.
Al-Sadr's fighters have battled coalition forces since Aug. 5 in a resurgence of a spring uprising that was dormant for two months following a series of truces.
