The Battle of Najaf

The media is reporting as much as it is allowed and as much as it knows regarding the opening salvos in the Battle of Najaf. I believe that this will be one of the two defining battle of the Iraq war (the other being the opening campaign for Baghdad), and its result - political more than military - will decide whether the U.S. succeeds in its mission.

Fortunately for all involved, the D.o.D. fully understands that it can lose the war despite winning the battles, and it shows in the care and time they're taking to deal with Moqtada al-Sadr's rebel militia. The BBC reports that thousands of US, UK, and Iraqi troops have moved into the center of the city, emptying many civilians out and cordoning off the city center. Defence Minister Hazim al-Shalaan said that Iraqi guardsmen took 1,200 prisoners and lots of arms in the cemetary to the north of the sacred mosque compound where Sadr and his loyalists seem ready to make a last stand. It is unclear how many of these were actually combatants, however, and a CNN report lists only 100 Mahdi (Messiah) Army captives. A satellite image of the battlefield is below, thanks to BBC:


The huge Najaf cemetery covers the top of the image (north) with the Imam Ali shrine beneath it. US troops have agreed not to enter the shrine, in favor of Iraqis. Farmland lies to the east, and a built-up residential area to the west. Source: BBC

The NYTimes, the Washington Post, Al-Jazeera, and Arabic News all carried the story. More action was reported in the Sadr City slums of Baghdad and the eastern city of Kut, as well as protests in Basra and Baghdad.

The Battle of Najaf has begun.