Sadrist Prepare to March in Najaf

As Iraqis remember the toppling of Saddam's statue and the entry of US forces into Baghdad five years ago, bitter fighting between the Mehdi army militia controlled by Shi'a leader Muqtada al-Sadr and Iraqi forces backed by US troops entered its second week. The fighting started in Basra after the Mehdi army was accused of assassination plots and oil smuggling – and soon spread to other southern Iraqi cities. Now, Iraqi army units are engaging the Sadrist militia in Baghdad's Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, where the fall of Baghdad is usually marked by a march. Because of the concentrated attacks on the Mehdi Army, this year the march demanding an end to the US occupation will be centred in Najaf. Hiba Dawood reports.

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