28 August 2004	Saturday	11 Rajab 1425

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NAJAF, Aug 27: Shia fighters left the holiest shrine in Iraq on Friday and began turning in their weapons, after tens of thousands of pilgrims celebrated a peace agreement that ended the uprising in Najaf.

Religious authorities locked the doors of the Imam Ali Mosque after the Mehdi Army militia of radical leader Moqtada al Sadr left. The fighters had defied US military firepower and the interim Iraqi government for three weeks.

Iraq's most revered religious leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, made a dramatic return to Najaf on Thursday and persuaded Moqtada Sadr to accept a peace deal to halt the fighting, after a day of violence in which 110 Iraqis were killed and over 500 wounded.

Militants tossed AK-47 assault rifles and mortar launchers into wooden carts being pushed near the shrine. Mosque loudspeaker announcements in Sadr's name gave the order. Al Arabiya television said Sadr's representatives had handed over the keys to the mosque. An eyewitness there said Iraqi police had taken control of the area around the mosque, as envisaged under the deal.

Several Mehdi militants refused to give up their guns while some US troops - who are supposed to leave the southern city in line with the peace deal - were seen nearby. By mid-afternoon, the narrow streets around the mosque were relatively quiet, destroyed and blackened buildings a testament to the fierce fighting that killed hundreds and drove world oil prices to record highs.

But a big question mark hangs over what role Moqtada Sadr and his militia want to play in Iraq, especially ahead of elections in January. Prime Minister Iyad Allawi gave them an amnesty under the peace deal.

ANIMOSITY SIMMERS: After the bitter fighting with US marines, many Mehdi militants still breathed defiance on Friday. "We will support whatever Ayatollah Sistani and Sayyed Moqtada have agreed. But we will still slit the throats of the Americans," said one militiaman, Hussein Taama.

Another held an AK-47 rifle which he said was his personal weapon that he would not give up: "I will keep this warm and wait for Sayyed Moqtada's order." The Najaf uprising has been a stark reminder to the interim government and the United States of the huge hurdles ahead in Iraq.

While fighting may have ended for now in Najaf, elsewhere it had not. Guerillas attacked US troops with hand grenades in Baghdad on Friday, wounding 12 soldiers, the military said.

PILGRIMS WEEP: Tens of thousands of Shias arrived on the outskirts of Najaf on Thursday, heeding a call by Ayatollah Sistani to march on the city. Just after dawn on Friday, they walked past dozens of pockmarked and destroyed buildings to the mosque.

Spent ammunition littered the city centre, which a day earlier had been infested with snipers. Many pilgrims were overcome at the mosque. Some kissed the ornate walls inside and wept after they queued to get in.

"We pray today that Najaf will recover. The military operations have only brought destruction," said Kassem Hameed, a 52-year-old oil worker from Basra. The peace deal came after a day of bloodshed. The health ministry said 110 people were killed and over 500 wounded in mortar and shooting attacks in Najaf and nearby Kufa on Thursday.

Ayatollah Sistani arrived returned home on Wednesday after three weeks in London for heart treatment. The uprising had erupted as he left his adopted home in Najaf. -Reuters