In Iraq, at least 30 people have been killed and over 200 injured over the past 24 hours in intense fighting between U.S. forces and backers of Shiite cleric Moqtada al Sadr. The Health Ministry in Baghdad said most of the fatalities were civilians. In Najaf, the U.S. is continuing to bomb the holy city including areas near the revered Imam Ali shrine and the city’s historic cemetery where Shiite Muslims from around the world are buried. The US is now saying that marines have been given permission by the Najaf governor to enter the shrine to launch an attack.

For the first time U.S. forces are also calling on residents of the city to evacuate their homes in a sign that even heavier attacks may be planned. Meanwhile Iraq’s interim deputy prime minister Ibrahim Jaafari called on the US to pull out of Najaf completely. In Baghdad, members of Sadr’s Mehdi Army have taken over portions of the capital city and set up checkpoints. The New York Times reports practically all of Sadr City appeared to be under the control of militiamen.

Meanwhile Al Jazeera is reporting that Basra’s interim leaders are considering breaking away from the rest of Iraq and forming an independent southern Iraqi government to include the heavily Shiite areas of Basra, Misan and Dhi Qar. The head of the Misan council said the move is in part due to the situation in Najaf. He said “This reaction comes in response to the crimes committed against Iraqis by an illegal and unelected government, and occupation forces who claimed they came to liberate Iraq, but it turned out that they have come to kill Iraqis.”