Iraqi PM Allawi visits Najaf

Protected by 100 guards, Iraq's interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi visited the war-shattered city of Najaf on Sunday, calling on Shiite militants to lay down their weapons after days of fierce clashes with U.S. forces.

Meanwhile, six explosions boomed across central Baghdad on Sunday, sending plumes of smoke into the air. One blast hit a truck traveling on a downtown street, setting it ablaze and causing casualties, officials said.

Police on the scene said there were causalties but could not say how many.

The explosions came in two rounds, and the cause was not known �� though insurgents frequently fire volleys of mortars or rockets in the city.

As Allawi met with Najaf's governor, police and the Mahdi Army militia loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr battled nearby. Gunfire and explosions could be heard as U.S. helicopter gunships circled overhead. Two Iraqi national guardsmen were killed, and 13 people wounded.

"We think that those armed should leave the holy sites and the (Imam Ali Shrine compound) as well as leave their weapons and abide by the law," Allawi said during a one-hour visit for talks with Najaf Gov. Adnan al-Zurufi.

Clashes continued in other Shiite communities for the fourth straight day. In Baghdad's Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City, four people were killed, and three U.S. soldiers were wounded in fighting Sunday and a U.S. observation helicopter came under fire and had to make an emergency landing, though the crew was unharmed.

Allawi's government also announced the reinstatement of the death penalty, part of a new approach for putting down the 15-month insurgency in Iraq. Capital punishment would be allowed for those convicted of murder, endangering national security and distributing drugs.

"The tough task in front of us in this country is maintaining security and stability, combatting terror and organized crime," Human Rights Minister Bakhtiar Amin said as he and the justice minister announced the decision.

Capital punishment was suspended during the U.S. occupation. The reinstatement came a day after the government announced an amnesty for those playing minor roles in the insurgency -- though not for anyone who has killed.

Source: Agencies