U.S. troops pound Najaf

NAJAF, Iraq, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Iraq's Ministry of Health said 49 Iraqis were killed and 27 wounded in Najaf Sunday after U.S. troops hit Mehdi Army positions, CNN reported.

The city shook from the explosions of AC-130 aerial gunships during the operation, which ended after two hours. U.S. military officials said no U.S. soliders had been killed or wounded.

The Mehdi Army, loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, exchanged gunfire with U.S. troops outside the Imam Ali mosque, in Najaf.

Al-Sadr's representatives had vowed to leave the holy shrine after handing it over to Shiite leaders, however, a representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani told al-Sadr's people he would not accept the site until nearby fighting ended.