Baghdad - In its first full statement on what Iraqi officials called a major battle with a messianic cult south of Baghdad, the United States military said on Monday that 100 militants were captured in the operation.
It made no mention of Iraqi officials' accounts of 200-300 cult followers killed in nearly 24 hours of fighting near the Shi'a holy city of Najaf. The only casualties it reported were two US soldiers killed when their helicopter came down during the fighting. Their deaths were reported on Sunday.
Describing the enemy as both "insurgents" and "militias", terms frequently applied to Sunnis and Shi'as respectively, the military said the incident began when more than 200 gunmen attacked a joint Iraqi army and police patrol investigating a report of a planned attack on pilgrims near Najaf.
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Monday was the climax of the Shi'a rite of Ashura, when hundreds of thousands travel to Karbala, north of Najaf.
"More than 100 gunmen were captured in the operation," the military said, praising the performance of the Iraqi forces.
Activity continued until early on Monday, it said.
Iraqi officials said the cult leader and 200 to 300 followers drawn from both Shi'a and Sunni communities, as well as foreigners, were killed in the military onslaught.
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