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BAGHDAD - Shiite gunmen loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ransacked an Iraqi police station Thursday in the holy city of Najaf, threatening a truce that had held for nearly a week. U.S. troops refused to intervene in the fighting, in which six Iraqis died.
American soldiers clashed Thursday with Sadr fighters in Baghdad's Sadr City. At least one fighter was shot and killed by a U.S. tank as he prepared to fire a rocket-propelled grenade at the Americans.
Gunfire and explosions were heard late Thursday in central Baghdad, and red tracers were seen soaring into the night sky. The U.S. command had no comment, but residents said a U.S. Army Humvee was attacked by a rocket-propelled grenade.
Elsewhere, Iraq's new prime minister, Iyad Allawi, blamed foreign fighters for recent attacks on Iraqi infrastructure, including an oil pipeline blast that cut nationwide electricity output by 10 percent. The extent of foreign involvement in attacks has been disputed in the past, and Allawi offered no evidence to back up his claim.
In Najaf, U.S. troops refused to intervene because the reason for the clashes was unclear and because the fighting was too close to Shiite shrines, said Maj. Gen. Martin Dempsey, commander of the 1st Armored Division.
Dempsey told CNN that Iraqi police, who deserted when Sadr's rebellion began in April, fought well Thursday despite losing control of a station. Dempsey said it was too early to tell whether the truce, mediated last week by Shiite clerics and politicians to end nearly eight weeks of fighting, had collapsed.
But the U.S.-appointed governor of Najaf province, Adnan al-Zurufi, warned that if the violence continued, "There won't be a truce." He gave the militia 24 hours to clear off the streets.
Sadr's spokesman, Qais Al-Khazali, warned the governor against "following the Americans" or sending forces near the holy shrines "because this could lead to fighting."
Hospital officials said six Iraqis were killed and 29 wounded, including eight children. Two of the dead were Mahdi Army fighters, Khazali said.
After police fled the station, witnesses said hundreds of civilians swarmed around it, joining Mahdi Army fighters in stripping the compound of fans, furniture and other valuables. Outside, they looted tires, headlights and seats from police vehicles and set them on fire.
Allawi, the new prime minister, has made restoration of security his top priority. His administration must use the next seven months to restore security to a level where national elections can be held by Jan. 31.
Allawi also tried to assure the Kurdish minority he would honor the interim constitution, which grants Kurds major concessions, including a virtual veto over a permanent constitution to be drafted next year.