The sound of heavy gunbattles resonated throughout the holy city of Najaf on Thursday, as U.S. forces battled militia loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The stepped-up fighting signaled the beginning of a major offensive against al-Sadr's Mahdi Army. "Major operations to destroy the militia have begun," said U.S. Marine Maj. David Holahan, executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines Regiment. Holahan said thousands of U.S. troops were taking part in the offensive, which began with the cordoning off of the revered Imam Ali shrine, its vast cemetery and Najaf's Old City.
