In Iraq, a delegation of Iraqi political leaders have failed to secure a cease fire agreement in Najaf. The delegates traveled from Baghdad to Najaf yesterday with hopes of meeting with Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr. Sadr refused to meet with them in part because of continued attacks by the U.S. military. A Sadr spokesperson condemned the U.S. for “preventing peaceful negotiations.” But Sadr has suggested that he would welcome an offer from the Vatican to mediate an end to the fighting. Meanwhile in Mosul, at least five Iraqis died after a rocket was fired into a market.