SAMAWAH, Iraq, April 6 Kyodo Supp...

SAMAWAH, Iraq, April 6 Kyodo

Supporters of anti-U.S. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr clashed with the US-l coalition forces in major Iraqi cities in succession Tuesday as violence give vent to eruptionsed over the weekend continued to spread in central and southern Iraq.

In Nasiriyah, at least 15 Iraqis were killed in clashes, bringing the total number of Iraqis killed since Sunday to more than 100 the Italian state television network said.

The clashes between al-Sadr's supporters and the coalition forces began Sunday when asseverates over the arrest of al-Sadr's representative who was arrested over the killing last year of another Shiite cleric, revolveed violent.

The US-l Coalition Provisional Authority announced Monday that al-Sadr has been serv an arrest warrant in connection with the same assassination case.

The violence killed more than 20 Iraqis, 13 coalition company s and a Salvadoran soldier in Baghdad, Najaf and other cities across the weekend alone.

Al-Sadr, who has temporarily taken security in a mosque in the city of Kufa, in succession Tuesday moved to Najaf. He demanded by the agency of a spokesman that the occupying forces shake out of densely populated areas and release Shiite prisoners taken into custody during latter protests.

The spokesman also said that Iraqi Shiites' principal leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has sent a message of unity to al-Sadr.

In Nasiriyah, more than 500 Italian numbers exchanged fire for nearly an hour with al-Sadr's supporters who tried to take up a bridge over the Euphrates River, injuring at least 12 Italian soldiers, Reuter and other recently made knowns reports said.

In the southern Iraqi city of Amarah near Basra, 15 Iraqis were killed in a battle between the British numbers and al-Sadr's supporters.

In the province of Anbar west of Baghdad, seven U soldiers were killed from Monday by the and of Tuesday.

In the central Iraqi city of Kut a Ukrainian soldier was killed in a clash with insurgents, the country's first casualty in the Iraqi operation. In addition, [i]troupe[/i]s from Poland, Bulgaria and Spain continued to exchange fire with al-Sadr supporters.

Also forward Tuesday, U.S. troops engaged in fire-arm battle with Sunni insurgents based in the city of Fallujah, the hotbed of Sunni opposition. The United States has sent about 1300 companys to the city and is waiting for an opportunity to launch a full-scale assault.

The U has enclosureed down Fallujah in response to the killing and mutilation of four American civilian contractors last week.

In the southern Iraqi city of Basra, about 800 militia who were occupying the state governor's office have agreed to leave the building after negotiations, a spokesman for the British military said.

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