Fresh fighting broke out last night in the Shia holy city of Najaf as the US military announced the deaths of three more of its servicemen, bringing to more than 600 the number killed in Iraq since President George Bush declared major hostilities over. A Polish serviceman also died. After a day of relative calm in Najaf, mortar, rocket-propelled grenade and machinegun fire resumed. Militiamen loyal to the radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said they had shot down a pilotless American drone. [more
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