Violence between US-backed Iraqi forces and Shiite militiamen continued on Wednesday in the holy city of Najaf, while contradicting statements from battling parties have puzzled the outside world.

Najaf police chief Amer Hamza said Wednesday that the Iraqi forces had approached the Imam Ali shrine and would end the standoff "today or tomorrow."

Xinhua correspondent in Najaf saw militants still fighting in the streets, though the stormy attacks appeared to be weakening them.

Several Iraqi cabinet ministers had said that radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr was accused of murder and he had to surrender himself, and but later they said there was no accusation against Sadr and he could join the political process only if he disbands his Mehdi Army and leaves the Imam Ali shrine.

As for the Sadr side, their declarations were even more contradictory.

Sadr had announced that he would not leave Najaf until he was martyred and called on his followers to hold on fighting, but the next day he said through his spokesmen that he was ready to meet the conditions of the government for ending the violence.

In the first minute, Sadr's followers announced an initiative of handing over the keys to the shrine, but in the second they said that a committee should be formed to make an inventory of the contents of the shrine so that no one would accuse them of stealing the treasures there.

The latest threat was from Hazem Shaalan, the Iraqi defense minister who threatened to smash the followers of Sadr within hours, but hours had past without anything happening.

Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawy seemed aware of the contradictions so he issued an order Tuesday that only his office is authorized to give announcements about the situation in Najaf.

With all these contradictions, the only fact that remains is that the fight was continuing and Great Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the highest Shiite spiritual leader in Iraq, was on his way back to Najaf after receiving heart treatment in London.

Sistani's spokesman said Wednesday that the top cleric was worried about the violence in Najaf in the month of Rajab,

according to the lunar calendar, during which the Muslims are forbidden to fight.

He called on the Iraqis to peacefully march toward Najaf to impose a peaceful solution.

The followers of Al Sistani hope that Al Sadr would come to meet him and make discussions in a peaceful way to save Najaf from a disaster.

Sadr has not appeared in public since Aug. 13, when he was reportedly slightly injured in the clashes.

Source: Xinhua