al-Sadr fighters take to streets of Hillah

(14 Aug 2004) 1. Various of armed militants in street 2. Close up, discarded police body armour 3. Militants cross road - UPSOUND gunfire 4. Woman carrying small child runs along street past armed militant 5. UPSOUND - Militant on radio 6. Various of armed militants in street 7. Wide of deserted street - UPSOUND gunfire STORYLINE: Fighters from Muqtada al-Sadr's al-Mahdi Army moved through the streets of Hillah on Friday, the first time members of the militia have been seen in the town, close to the ancient city of Babylon. Armed with RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) and AK47s the fighters took up positions in the centre of Hillah and exchanged fire with Iraqi police. The militants took control of two police stations, according to reports from an eyewitness. The al-Mahdi Army has been active up to now in mostly in Baghdad and to the south of Hillah in Najaf, Kut, Nasiriyah, Basra and Amarah. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...