Iraq

Sadr aide shot dead in Najaf

Article published on the 2008-04-11 Latest update 2008-04-11 13:59 TU

Riyad al-Nuri, aide to Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr (pictured above) has been shot dead in Najaf
(Photo : AFP)

Police have imposed a curfew in the Iraqi city of Najaf after a senior aide to Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadrr, was shot dead near his home, Iraqi officials said. Riyad al-Nuri, director of the Sadr movement's office in Najaf, was killed on his return from the weekly prayers. Sadr aide Haider al-Turfi said the gunmen were waiting for Nuri, 37, near his home in the city's eastern Al-Adala neighbourhood.

"When he arrived from the prayers, they opened fire on him, killing him instantly," Turfi said.

Police set up blockades, ordered people off the streets and closed shops after the incident.

Al-Nouri's death came fresh US air strikes on Friday killed at least 12 people in Baghdad and Basra, amid continued street battles between Shia fighters and Iraqi security forces.

Since late march, fighters from Sadr's Mahdi Army militia have been engaged in deadly clashes with Iraqi security forces after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered a crackdown on Shiite militias in the southern city of Basra.

At least 700 people have been killed in the fighting, which spread to Shiite areas of Baghdad and other regions of Iraq.