Fierce clashes continued on Friday between Shiite gunmen and the US troops in the holy city of Najaf where at least two houses were destroyed, witnesses said.

The fighting broke out again in Naser district in northern Najafwhere two houses were destroyed, said Muhsen Jawad, a resident in the city.

US armoured vehicles were deployed around the city especially inthe north area.

In Naser district, a house known as Al Khaima restaurant was destroyed in the crossfire and a civilian car was also seen set ablaze, Jawad told Xinhua.

He said the people in the district evacuated their houses because of the fighting and headed to the center of the city.

In another development, hundreds of people moved toward Kufa, some 10 km north of Najaf, to attend the Friday prayers which were expected to be led by Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

In Kufa, eight people including two children, aged one year and eight months respectively, were killed and 31 other people were injured by warplane-bombings, according to a source from Al Furat Al Awsat hospital.

Sources of the Hospital of Najaf told Xinhua they received five bodies and 11 injured people after the US warplanes bombed the cityduring the overnight clashes.

Source: Xinhua