The U.S. has announced it killed 300 militia fighters in Najaf during the past two days. That seems like a huge number to us. Here's what a U.S. spokesman had to say:

Colonel Anthony Haslam, the chief of operations in Najaf, said: "The poor Iraqi police force do not have a chance. They are attacked and they are outgunned. Without eliminating that threat, this city will never be stable."

The US-appointed governor of Najaf, Adnan al-Zurfi, later put the death toll at 400 and said 1,000 of Mr Sadr's Al Mahdi militia had been captured.

1,000 captured? Where are we putting them?

Here's what the new Iraqi government had to say.

Mr Sadr and his criminal supporters must be removed from the holy shrine at Najaf to restore respect and peace to the area."

Here's what the locals had to say:

Residents who talked to the Guardian by phone said most shops were closed, and a number of dead bodies were lying on the empty streets.

This is the road to peace?

Update: The Independent reports that the new Iraqi government is close to declaring martial law in Iraq.