September 4, 2003	Thursday	Rajab 6, 1424

NAJAF, Sept 3: US troops moved to disarm the volunteer guard of anti-US firebrand Moqtada Sadr on Wednesday, but were thrice rebuffed, a spokesman for the Shia leader said.

The volunteers have been guarding Sadr’s Najaf base since the assassination of Ayatollah Mohammad Baqer al Hakim in a massive car bombing on Friday.

“Today the Americans came up to Sadr’s house in three armoured cars and demanded that the special guard hand over its weapons but they refused,” spokesman Qais al Khazali said.

“The Americans left and came back with Iraqi police officers who in turn demanded that the guards disarm but they too were rebuffed,” he said.

“The Americans came again but, seeing a large number of Sadr supporters around the house, they left, perhaps to get reinforcements.”—AFP