Italian troops destroy radical Shiite cleric's office in Nasiriyah

NASIRIYAH, Iraq (AFP) - Italian soldiers of the US-led coalition destroyed the office of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr in this southern Iraqi town, a day after Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi visited the contingent.


Residents said the Italians used explosive charges to level the building at dawn in the wake of bloody clashes between Sadr's banned Mehdi Army militia and coalition forces.


There was no immediate reaction from Sadr loyalists in the town where Italian soldiers have increased patrols.


Berlusconi, a close Washington ally, spent several hours here on a surprise morale-boosting visit to his troops Saturday, telling them their presence was proof that "Italy is a nation capable of carrying through the world the values of justice and civilization."

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