Sadr militia, army signal truce, toll of US killed in action hits 600

NAJAF, Iraq (AFP) — Shiite Muslim militia and US troops took a step back from the brink by agreeing to a ceasefire after two months of bloodshed, as the number of US soldiers killed in action in Iraq hit 600.

An official from rebel cleric Moqtada Sadr's Mehdi Army said its fighters had been withdrawn as the US military told AFP it agreed to pull back from some positions in the twin pilgrimage cities.

"We have withdrawn our fighters from the streets of Kufa and Najaf," militia official Abu Jafaar said.

Iraqi police started to patrol Najaf late Friday as part of the truce framework and no armed militiamen could be seen on the streets, said an AFP correspondent.

"The government of Najaf has made an announcement that the Iraqi police will deploy in and around the sensitve areas around the holy shrines," US Army Captain Douglas Duecker told AFP. ...