A member of the Mahdi Army(a group that has been a source of worry to U.S. authorities since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime. If it can convert its street popularity into votes, Iraq’s first democratically elected Parliament could have a distinct Islamist slant), a militia loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr brandishes a weapon as he prepares to fight Thursday in Baghdad.

Iraqis flee from homes in Najaf during clashes Friday. With 300 dead Iraq's vice president said this in a television interview on Friday, al-Jafari expressed dismay over US claims that up to 300 Mahdi Army fighters had been killed in Najaf and said it was hardly the civilized way to rebuild Iraq. Mahdi Army claims most of the dead were civilians.

Information and pics taken from US and Aljazeera.net sites.