U.S. forces and cleric's militia fight in holy Iraqi city

KARBALA, Iraq — The U.S. military on Wednesday accused fighters loyal to a rebel cleric of firing on American forces from one of Shia Islam's holiest shrines.

Separately, a group linked to al-Qaida claimed responsibility for Monday's car bomb assassination of the Iraqi Governing Council president in a statement posted on a militant Islamic Web site.

The head of the Monotheism and Jihad Group is believed to be Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian wanted by the United States in connection with numerous terrorist attacks. He is suspected of strong links to Osama bin Laden's network. It was the second group to claim responsibility.

In Karbala, the militia of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was operating from the Imam Hussein shrine in the center of Karbala, said Cpt. Noel Gorospe, spokesman for the U.S. Army's 1st Armored Division.

The city south of Baghdad has been the scene of heavy fighting since al-Sadr launched an uprising against the U.S.-led coalition last month.

"They use mainly the windows of the second floor of the shrine," to fire at troops, Gorospe said at Camp Lima, a coalition base on the outskirts of Karbala. Insurgents were using small arms, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, and their use of the shrine was more noticeable in the past three days, he said.

American troops and militiamen fought Wednesday near a militia checkpoint 100 yards from another holy site in Karbala, the Imam Abbas shrine, witnesses said.

The U.S. military confirmed there was fighting Wednesday, but did not say where.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Daily insurgent attacks have centered on Karbala's Mukhaiyam mosque and the surrounding area, which the U.S. military took over in operations last week. The coalition said Iraqi fighters were using the mosque as a military base, and said it had no intention of relinquishing the mosque until militias leave the town.

Gorospe said an AC-130 gunship was used in an airstrike against insurgents around the Imam Hussein shrine in recent days, but said it did not shoot into the shrine.

Since Tuesday, U.S. F-16 jets have been flying over Karbala around the clock.

Al-Sadr has accused U.S. forces of desecrating shrines in Karbala and another holy city, Najaf. The U.S. military denies the allegations, saying militiamen have used Muslim holy places as firing positions and storerooms for weapons.