"Iraqi troops are holed up in the mosque and firing at coalition forces. Against all international laws of war, the regime's forces are using and abusing the mosque as a military fortress," said Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke.

"We have not fired back, and we continue to work hard to avoid civilian casualties and protect Iraq's holy sites," she said at a Pentagon news conference.

She said US-led troops "are showing so much more respect for the prominent mosque in Najaf, the Ali Mosque, which is one of the most important religious sites for Shia Muslims, than the Iraqi forces are."

"And it's not just mosques that are being mistreated by the Iraqi regime. Coalition forces in Najaf also found a school in which the Iraqi forces had stashed weapons and many rounds of ammunition," Clarke said.

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