Diwaniya Update

On Thursday I wrote about the situation in Diwaniya ( See: "If fighting erupts again, and this is very likely, we will have a very bad situation" ) according to this report from Al-Sabah Al-Jadeed the situation there at present is as follows: The city is under a renewed curfew since yesterday. American and Iraqi forces have blocked access to the city. American and Iraqi forces are now engaged in house to house searches. Apparently concentrating upon the districts of Askri, Jumhori, and Nahdha. According to the paper several people have been arrested during the operation, several "personal weapons" have been confiscated, and the searchers are being backed up tanks and armoured cars on the streets and both helicopters and warplanes flying at low altitude over the city. Other News: According to Aswat al Iraq there has been a bomb attack on one Grand Ayatollah Sistani's representatives in Basrah according to the report Ali Abdul Hakim's* convoy was targeted by a bombing - there are no reports of any casualties. markfromireland Notes: * The name given in this AP report is Ali al-Safi