Raid by Army Sparks Clash With Iraqi Cleric’s Followers; 4 Killed

Armed followers of Shiite Muslim cleric Mahmoud Hassani Sarkhi opened fire on Iraqi forces with rifles and grenade launchers in Karbala on Tuesday after the army raided his offices.

At least four men were killed during an extended gunfight and 50 of Sarkhi’s followers were detained. Iraqi police closed off the city and put a three-day curfew into effect.

The fighting came on a day of violent clashes around Iraq.

Sarkhi, who claims to be a descendant of the prophet Muhammad, is a controversial figure because of his criticism of other, more influential Shiite clerics such as Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani and Muqtada Sadr.

The clash began after the Iraqi army attempted to seize an empty building next to Sarkhi’s headquarters, leading to a raid on his office.

“We had fears that we might be targeted through this building,” a Sarkhi follower said.

In the northern city of Mosul, an explosives-laden cement truck blew up outside the headquarters of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani’s party, killing at least eight members of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and injuring 37 people.

Flames engulfed at least a dozen cars.

In addition, U.S. military officials reversed their earlier denial of an Iraqi police claim that an insurgent attack caused explosions Sunday that killed 63 people.

Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV said Monday that an internal gas explosion was the cause of the deaths, but the military said Tuesday that two car bombs ruptured a gas line and triggered other explosions.

In the southern city of Basra, demonstrators protested for the second day over fuel shortages in the oil-rich region, burning tires and demanding that the government address the problem.

British troops said Katyusha rockets were fired at three of their bases but reported no casualties.

In Baghdad, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki met with Jordanian dignitaries to announce an agreement to provide cheaper petroleum products in exchange for greater cooperation on cultural, economic and security matters. Jordan has played a key role in combating insurgents who have used its territory to stage attacks against Iraq.

Maliki’s Cabinet also announced a $213-million deal to purchase more gasoline and diesel from Turkey and Iran. Iraq’s oil reserves are among the world’s largest, but insurgent attacks on the aging infrastructure have crippled the government’s ability to provide fuel to the domestic market.

Elsewhere in Iraq, a shoulder-fired rocket damaged a U.S. Humvee in Fallouja, sparking a melee between Marines and gunmen that left an Iraqi dead. Iraqi police said three Marines were injured.

In Baqubah, about 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, a bomb struck an Iraqi police convoy, killing an officer and injuring two. In Muqdadiya, 60 miles northeast of the capital, attackers shot to death three bakers who supply the Iraqi army.

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Times staff writer Saad Fakhrildeen in Najaf and correspondents in Baghdad, Mosul, Baqubah and Basra contributed to this report.