U.S. forces raid al-Sadr home in Najaf
Al-Sadr not home; interim leader calls on militants to lay down arms
 |  U.S. forces enter al-Sadr's home in central Najaf. |
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 The fight for Najaf gets under way.
 U.S., Iraqi forces seek to bring end to fighting with cleric's militia in Najaf.
 Ahmed Chalabi returns to Iraq to fight counterfeiting charges.
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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. Marines in Najaf raided the house of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, seized weapons and obliterated a nearby building with a 500-pound bomb to clear out pockets of resistance held by his militia.
CNN learned that the cleric was not found in the raid on his home. Al-Sadr is believed to be holed up in the Imam Ali Mosque, a holy Shiite Muslim site, with thousands of his allies who, Iraqi authorities say, have been attacking their forces with mortars and laying land mines in the sacred compound.
A senior military official, referring to the raid on al-Sadr's house, told CNN that "we had no information that he was there" and echoed previous statements that operations in Najaf were not targeting or attempting to capture or kill al-Sadr.
Iraqi forces surround the mosque site but do not plan to storm it. Great caution is being taken not to disturb that site, one of the holiest in Islam, military sources said.
Marines also raided what had been a maternity clinic near al-Sadr's house. They came under heavy fire but seized a cache of arms as they secured the area.
Next, they called in an air strike on what had been a school building between the clinic and al-Sadr's house. The building was destroyed by a 500-pound bomb.
U.S. and Iraqi forces Thursday started what was earlier called a major offensive in Najaf after seven days fighting the Mehdi Army militants. A senior official later altered that description, downplaying the actions.
The official said that Thursday's military actions were a continuation of operations that have been going on all week, calling the latest a "clearing" operation for taking out the remaining fighters.
He called the fighting light to moderate and said there have been no reports of U.S. casualties thus far Thursday.
The thick black smoke above Najaf and sounds of machine-gun and artillery fire gave the impression of fierce warfare. The military assault included tanks, heavy weapons and armored vehicles, with helicopter gunships patrolling overhead.
"The Mehdi militia forces have been confined to a fairly small portion in the center of the city of Najaf. They have attacked Iraqi police stations near there, but the Iraqi police have decisively repelled each attack," said Marine Lt. Col. Thomas Johnson.
Scores of deaths have been reported in Najaf and other al-Sadr strongholds.
In Najaf, hospital officials reported that wards have been crowded with civilians caught in the crossfire. Some people have fled the city but others have sought safety at home.
On the other hand, Johnson said there is "relative calm in about 80 percent of the city as residents carry out their usual routines."
The Najaf offensive has generated protests. Street demonstrations went on in Baghdad, a Shiite political coalition in Najaf denounced the offensive, and Iran and the Arab states have called for a cease-fire. An al-Sadr official in Baghdad is alleging that U.S. troops killed ambulance drivers and destroyed holy sites.
There have been up to 2,000 Marines in Najaf and about 1,800 soldiers from the Iraqi National Guard in the area, U.S. military officials said. The U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division has also taken up positions in the city.
The fighting has spread beyond Najaf.
At least 71 members of insurgent militia members have died and another 380 have been wounded in clashes across Iraq with U.S.-led multinational forces, including Iraqi security forces, during the 24-hour period ending at 9 a.m. Thursday, the Iraqi Health Ministry said.
Saad al-Amili, the ministry's executive director, listed these casualty figures: Baghdad -- 25 killed, 99 wounded; Najaf -- 25 killed, 153 wounded; Amara -- 14 killed, 76 wounded; and Diwaniya -- seven killed, 52 wounded.
Sheikh Salah al-Ubeidi, an al-Sadr spokesman in Baghdad, on Thursday said al-Sadr "is inside Najaf" and is refusing to leave. He said al-Sadr is prepared to be killed with his followers or to help bring peace to and remove the troops from Najaf.
Al-Ubeidi described conditions in war-torn Najaf as "very bad" and claimed that "very severe" bombing from the multinational forces destroyed "several holy places" and struck civilian sites.
Heavy fighting in al-Kut
Iraqi security forces Wednesday battled insurgents in al-Kut after they attacked city hall, police stations and National Guard barracks, the Coalition Press Information Center said.
An Iraqi Health Ministry official said 75 Mehdi Army members were killed and another 148 were wounded in battles over the previous two days.
In addition, 100 Mehdi Army militia members have been arrested, an Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman said.
According to the coalition information center, al-Kut's governor has contacted the anti-Iraqi forces in hopes of putting an end to the fighting.
Al-Kut is about 100 miles (160 kms) southeast of Baghdad.
Other developments
The fighting comes ahead of a three-day national conference starting this weekend in Baghdad, where delegates from across the country are to choose an advisory committee to work with the interim government. Despite the fighting, officials intend to go forward with the conference, a process that some in the government hoped al-Sadr would eventually embrace.A British soldier was killed and another seriously wounded when an improvised explosive device detonated near a passing patrol in the southeast city of Basra, a British military spokesman told CNN. The incident took place midmorning Thursday. No further details were disclosed. Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric and a Najaf resident, will undergo an angioplasty Friday in London, England, according to one of his representatives. The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution Thursday to extend the U.N. mission in Iraq for a year, The Associated Press reported. Secretary-General Kofi Annan indicated the number of U.N. staff allowed in the country will be limited due to security concerns, the AP said.Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr rallied on Thursday in Baghdad's Kadhmiya neighborhood -- a Shiia stronghold -- waving banners and calling for an end to violence and bloodshed. Some banners criticized President Bush and interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi while others pledged support for al-Sadr. CNN correspondents Matthew Chance and John Vause and producers Kevin Flower , Cal Perry and Kianne Sadeq contributed to this report.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
