Iraqi PM Allawi Visits Najaf Unannounced
55 minutes ago
By ABDUL HUSSEIN AL-OBEIDI, Associated Press Writer
NAJAF, Iraq - Protected by 100 guards, Iraq (news - web sites)'s interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi made a brief, unannounced visit to the war-shattered city of Najaf on Sunday, calling on militants to lay down their weapons after days of fierce clashes with U.S. forces.
"We think that those armed should leave the holy sites and the (Imam Ali Shrine compound) as well as leave their weapons and abide by the law," Allawi said during a one-hour visit for talks with Najaf Gov. Adnan al-Zurufi.
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