Just in case anyone thought all the action is in Karbala and Baghdad, Reuters is reporting that, at approximately 2:15 PM (Eastern US time) today there is heavy combat in Najaf as well:

NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. and Iraqi forces killed 250 gunmen in a fierce battle involving U.S. tanks and helicopters on the outskirts of the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf on Sunday, a senior Iraqi police officer said.

The day-long battle was continuing after nightfall, Colonel Ali Nomas told Reuters, as tens of thousands of pilgrims converged on the nearby city of Kerbala for the climax of the Ashura commemorations.

Day long combat? Tanks and helicopters? 250 dead “gunmen”?

Please.

This is Ashura, a Shiite holiday and faithful travel for days to the holy city of Najaf. I’m sure they’ve estimated 250 dead, but what are the odds they’re all armed?

Oh yes, we lost yet another helicopter, apparently. That would be three in one week.

A U.S. helicopter was shot down in the fighting,
Iraq security sources said. The U.S. military declined comment. A Reuters reporter saw a helicopter come down trailing smoke.

Shi'ite political sources said the gunmen appeared to be both Sunni Arabs and Shi'ites loyal to a cleric called Ahmed Hassani.

And what are the odds that Sunni and Shiite fighters would partner up just to shoot at Americans? I know we’re universally despised in the country, but I don’t think they’re over their own little internecine spat yet.

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims have converged on Iraq's other main Shi'ite holy city, Kerbala, for Ashura, marking the 7th century Battle of Kerbala, which helped consolidate the schism between Shi'ite and Sunni Islam. It ends on Monday.

If there are hundreds of thousands of pilgrims at Karbala, is it possible there are thousands or hundreds of thousands at Najaf also?

So maybe this,

A Reuters reporter about 1.5 km (1 mile) from the fighting said he heard intense gunfire and saw U.S. helicopters rocket groves sheltering militants. He saw smoke trailing from one helicopter before it came down in the midst of the fighting.

He was unable to see what had happened to the helicopter, but officers in Iraq's 8th Army Division and policemen said it had crashed and that the two crew members were dead. The U.S. military said it did not comment on operations still taking place.

Wasn’t really about militants and gunmen sheltering in groves but rather pilgrims, who of course mostly wouldn’t be able to stay under roofs.