Your Source for NPR News & Music
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Najaf: Impasse in a War Zone

U.S. tanks have pulled close to the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, but will not be allowed to clear out fighters loyal to cleric Muqtadar al-Sadr. The politics of the Shiite world have led to an impasse, and appear to have paralyzed the Iraqi government. But Najaf is now a real war zone. NPR's Ivan Watson reports.

Copyright 2004 NPR

Ivan Watson
Ivan Watson is currently based in Istanbul, Turkey. Following the 9-11 terrorist attacks, he has served as one of NPR's foreign "firemen," shuttling to and from hotspots around the Middle East and Central Asia.
Related Stories