NAJAF, Sept 21: US marines arrested two close aides and several supporters of Moqtada Sadr in a predawn raid on Tuesday on the radical leader's office in Najaf, officials and witnesses said.

"A group of US marines raided the office of Sayed Sadr and arrested Sheikh Ahmed al Shaibani and Sayed Hosam al Husseini and a number of other workers in the office," said Abu Sadeq al Adhari, an official in Sadr's office.

The white-turbaned Shaibani is one of the most outspoken Sadr aides in Najaf, scene of weeks of bitter fighting pitting Sadr's Mehdi Army against US troops. Iraqi police and security forces were seen blocking access to the office, which is adjacent to the Imam Ali Mosque in the heart of the city.

Police confirmed the raid and the arrests, while residents said they heard a number of loud explosions during the night and saw US troops carrying light weapons and ammunition out of the office.

Another Sadr official, who managed to escape during the raid, said dozens of partisans of the radical's Mehdi Army militia were arrested, along with religious figures and security guards. -AFP