A U.S. soldier walks past a burning car following an explosion at the entrance of the "Green zone" in the Iraqi capital Baghdad
Three U.S. Soldiers Killed in Two Attacks
Reports of Fighting Between U.S. Troops and Shiite Militia in Najaf
By Scott Wilson, Robin Wright and Fred Barbash
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, May 6, 2004; 4:00 PM
BAGHDAD, May 6 -- Three U.S. soldiers were killed late Wednesday and early Thursday in two separate Baghdad attacks while in the south of Iraq, U.S. troops were reported to be fighting the militia loyal to radical cleric Moqtada Sadr on the edges of the city of Najaf
Lt. Col. Pat White, in a live interview with CNN, said Army units had retaken the governor's office in Najaf, which had previously been under the control of Sadr's militiamen, known as the Mahdi Army.
The U.S. strategy in Najaf is to "chip away" at Sadr's forces, and create "greater space" for local Shiite leaders to increase pressure on the cleric, said a senior U.S. official in Washington involved in Iraq policy.
The official, who insisted on anonymity in order to speak more candidly about U.S. objectives, said the "goal is to chip away" at Sadr's support and show Shiite leaders in Najaf "that Sadr does not and will not have a power base."
"The intent is to encourage prompt Iraqi action," the official said. " . . . They need to stand up to this guy. When we start to see the snowball effect of the erosion of Sadr's support, that gives us greater space to take military action."
"Ideally, if we take the governor's house and some of his supporters, it gives our nominal allies among the Iraqis more space to act. It's a lot better than going in with tanks," he added.
Fighting east of Najaf killed an estimated 40 members of the militia around Kufa Thursday, Capt. Roger Maynulet, commander of a tank company with the Army's 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, told the Associated Press.
U.S. officers said American forces were sent to areas east of the city to draw militia fighters away from the governor's office, which was taken without a fight, the AP said.
There was no sign that U.S. troops were entering the heart of Najaf, which is sacred to Shiite Muslims and has been encircled by U.S. forces since early April.
The U.S. administrator in Iraq, L. Paul Bremer, announced that he was appointing a new governor for Najaf. According to a transcript of the announcement, Bremer said Adnan Zurufi would take office immediately, replacing Haider Mayali, who left the country for Iran.
"He is the right man for the job at this time . . . ," Bremer said, referring to Zurufi's past work seeking to unseat former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. "Governor Zurufi's attachment to Najaf and his proven willingness to fight for justice will serve the people well as he administers the government."
In Baghdad, two U.S. soldiers died and two were wounded as a result of an improvised bomb attack just before midnight, a military spokesman announced. No further details were available.
At 7:30 a.m. (11:30 p.m. EDT) a massive suicide car bomb exploded near a checkpoint leading to the headquarters of the U.S. occupation authority in Baghdad.
The blast killed one soldier and at least five Iraqi civilians while injuring at least two dozen Iraqis, a U.S. military spokesman said. Witnesses at the scene said the bomber was among those killed.
The explosion destroyed several vehicles and sent black smoke billowing over the city during the morning rush hour as helicopters, Army Humvees and Bradley Fighting Vehicles cordoned off the area.
