(20 Apr 2004) STORY
A group of armed men led a crowd of anti-US protesters in the southern city of Najaf of Friday.
The crowd danced and chanted their support for the renegade Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who is besieged by US forces in a neighbourhood of the city.
US commanders have vowed to "kill or capture" Sadr, but have so far limited their actions to small skirmishes on the outskirts of the city.
Up to 2500 US troops are said to be surrounding the area.
Talks aimed at resolving the crisis appeared to be making progress on Friday.
The US hopes to avoid an all-out attack in Najaf, site of the holiest Shiite site -- the Imam Ali Shrine, only meters (yards) away from the office where al-Sadr is located, surrounded by armed gunmen.
His al-Mahdi Army militia launched a bloody uprising last week across the south and in Baghdad, battling US coalition troops and taking control of a number of cities. The United States branded him an outlaw and accused him of fomenting mob violence and the assassination of a rival cleric.
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Негізгі бет Armed Iraqi insurgents ahead of firefight with US troops
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