In Najaf: U.S. troops moved into the center of the holy city, bolstered by an edict from a senior Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, not to oppose invasion troops. Sistani had been held under house arrest and previously had issued a statement urging Iraqis to resist the invasion. Military officials said the edict was a sign that Hussein’s support was crumbling.
Camp Lejeune: President Bush met with the relatives of slain troops for the first time since the conflict began. First he addressed some 20,000 Marines, family members and friends at the base in North Carolina, giving an upbeat assessment of the war’s progress. Then he and First Lady Laura Bush met privately in a chapel annex with about 20 family members of five Marines killed in Iraq. At least 13 from the base have been killed and six are missing.
Diplomacy: In Brussels, Secretary of State Colin Powell faced near-unanimous demands from European Union and NATO states to give the United Nations a key role in shaping postwar Iraq. Powell said the United States, Britain and other coalition members have “to play the leading role” but added: “That is not to say we will shut others out.”
In Germany: Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder (left), a vocal opponent of the war, called for the first time for the removal of Hussein in a speech to parliament.
In Congress: At the urging of the White House, the House defeated a bid to strip aid to Turkey from a bill to fund the war.
