WASHINGTON, April 3: An angry crowd of Iraqi Shias prevented troops of the US 101st Airborne Division from approaching the Ali Mosque, a sacred Shiite site in the town of Najaf on Wednesday, according to footage aired by CNN cable news on Thursday.

Some 200 civilians shouting in Arabic and waving their arms in “keep out” motions, blocked a US convoy from entering the street leading to the mosque, recognizable by its prominent golden dome.

The CNN correspondent said the US troops were heading for the residence of the local ayatollah, who had agreed to meet with representatives of the US forces but asked first that his home be protected.

The crowd, said the correspondent, apparently thought the convoy was heading for the mosque, located on the same street.

The US commander ordered his troops to point their weapons toward the ground to dispel the tension, and finally ordered them to leave.

US army: After battling pro-Baghdad loyalists, US troops moved into the centre of Iraq’s holy city of Najaf on Thursday.

US officers said they believed most of the Fedayeen paramilitary fighters loyal to President Saddam Hussein had dropped their equipment and fled — but that a few were still in the city putting up a fight.

“Ideally, we would kill them all,” Colonel Joseph Anderson, a brigade commander of the 101st Airborne Division, said.

“We believe this is a very significant turning point and another indicator that the Iraqi regime is approaching its end,” Brigadier General Vincent Brooks told reporters in Qatar. —AFP/Reuters