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Journalism of Courage
Street fighting erupted in Baghdad on Saturday as youths with rifles and grenade launchers battled US Troops in a Sunni Muslim area, witnesses said.
Dozens of gunmen attacked a police station and shot at US troops from alleyways in Baghdad8217;s Adhimiya district.
US forces said on Friday they were suspending offensive operations in Falluja, but the unilateral move failed to halt fighting. More clashes erupted there on Saturday.
In other new attacks, a US tank was set on fire on a highway west of Baghdad. Witnesses said the M1A1 Abrams tank was hit by a grenade fired from a bridge by a 10-year-old boy.
Even as rumours of foreigners being abducted were doing the rounds, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi paid an Easter visit to his troops.
In Tokyo, PM Junichiro Koizumi stood firm against protestors demanding he pull Japanese troops out to save three civilian hostages.
The US-installed Iraqi Governing Council criticised 8216;8216;military solutions and the policy of collective punishment that has fallen on innocent civilians8217;8217;. The 25-member body demanded 8216;8216;an immediate ceasefire and the reliance on political solutions in all areas, especially Falluja8217;8217;.
The violence has put severe pressure on the Council and on the interim Iraqi government, with several members resigning or threatening to do so unless the bloodshed stops.
Battles in Falluja and in the Sunni heartlands have coincided with an uprising led by Shi8217;ite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr across the South.
About a million Shi8217;ites were set to mark the holy day of Arbain in Karbala on Saturday. Sheikh Hamza Al-Tai, a leader of Sadr8217;s Mehdi Army, said it had suspended 8216;8216;liberation operations8217;8217; in Karbala until after the ceremonies, according to a tape aired by Al Jazeera.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Friday he had been surprised by the strength of Sunni and Shi8217;ite rebels, saying there were signs of tactical contact. 8216;8216;It8217;s been a tough week, let8217;s be clear about that. But I still believe that most Iraqis are with us,8217;8217; he said. 8212;Reuters
