BAGHDAD (RFE/RL) — Iraqi officials say government troops – backed by U.S. airpower — have killed at least 300 militants in battles around Al-Najaf. The fighting began after Iraqi Army units clashed with the armed group on the northern edge of the city on January 28.

Iraqi sources report a big victory in the fighting near Al-Najaf. The losses of the Iraqi troops are reported to be minor — three soldiers killed and 21 injured.  U.S. officials say two of their troops died when a helicopter crashed, but did not confirm any of the Iraqi casualty figures.

The head of Al-Najaf governorate, Asaad Abu Gilel, told reporters that the group was well armed and equipped. “They even have antiaircraft missiles and were backed by some locals,” he said.

A New Shi’ite Militia?

There is still uncertainty over the identity of the group of several hundred armed men.

Mustafa Alani, a regional expert at the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center, says one possibility is that the men belong to an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group. If so, they could have been in the vicinity of the Shi’ite holy city of Al-Najaf to launch attacks during celebrations of the Ashura festival.

Alani says another possibility is that the U.S. and Iraqi troops were fighting a new, messianic Shi’ite militia called the Army of Heaven:

“It is a new militia emerging from [other Shiite] militias,” Alani says. “You have the Badr militia, you have the Al-Mahdi Army, and you have an [armed] group which belongs to the Al-Dawa party. Now, apparently, if this [theory] is true, we have another, fourth militia emerging now — a [new] Shi’ite militia.”

‘Plans To Attack’ Pilgrims

The group – which by some reports also attracts some Sunni members – aims to clear Iraq of temporal leaders in order to hasten the return of the Mahdi, a messianic figure in Islam.

The Al-Najaf governor said the group planned to attack pilgrims and assassinate Shi’ite clerics.

Shi’ite leaders had shut the offices of the leader of the group, Ahmed Hassan Al-Yamani, in Al-Najaf 10 days ago.

Some analysts question the high death tolls reported in the battles.

Alani says the figures may reflect a tendency by government officials to exaggerate victories.

“Since 2003 and until now, they [say] that possibly 10,000 [enemy fighters] were killed and I don’t think this is the right figure,” he says. “So, there is a tendency to exaggerate the number of casualties among the resistance and terrorists. It is a habit now.”

There is no independent confirmation of the number of casualties in the fighting.

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