Insurgent Fighting Spreads Beyond Najaf

By JAMIE TARABAY, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Insurgents loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr battled fiercely with U.S. and Iraqi forces in the holy city of Najaf on Thursday and fighting quickly spread to other Shiite areas, threatening a shaky two-month-old truce. A U.S. military helicopter was shot down, injuring the crew.

"The cease-fire is over because of the actions of the occupation forces, and the situation has started to deteriorate," warned Sheik Abdul Hadi al-Daraji, a spokesman for al-Sadr in Baghdad.

Al-Sadr's men also fought with U.S. troops in the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City, shot at government offices in the southern city of Amarah and clashed with British forces farther south in Basra, Iraq's second largest city.

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