US troops 'will go home in coffins'

Baghdad/Washington: A senior ally of radical Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr warned on Friday that many of the planned 21,500 extra US troops en route for the war-torn nation would "go home in coffins".

The threat came amid tensions over the detention of five Iranians in a US swoop on an official building earmarked as a consulate in Arbil, which Tehran branded a breach of international law.

Unveiling a new strategy intended to rescue Iraq from the brink of civil war, the US administration on Thursday warned the Baghdad government it was on 'borrowed time' and pledged to wage 'no holds barred' military operations.

The new tack will involve increased pressure on Iraq's neighbours Iran and Syria - which are accused by Washington of fomenting unrest - and tougher action to deal with militias such as Al Sadr's feared Mehdi Army.

"The American people have to prevent their sons from coming to Iraq or they may return in coffins," hit back Shaikh Abdul Razzaq Al Nadawi, a senior official in Al Sadr's movement, slamming the US troop increase.

Al Sadr is one of the fiercest opponents of the US presence in Iraq and his Mehdi Army has been branded by the Pentagon as the most dangerous faction in Iraq's bloody sectarian war.

The Mehdi Army is one of many militias alleged to have been supplied with arms by Iran.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meanwhile said on Thursday Saudi Arabia should do more to help the Iraqi government because a 'failed state' next door to the kingdom would ensure an expanded role in the region for old rival Iran.

Testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rice said the 'single best thing' Saudi Arabia could do would be to provide debt relief for Iraq.

Rice was responding to a question from committee chairman Tom Lantos, a Democrat, who said the Saudis should use revenues from high oil prices to ease the US financial burden in Iraq.

Rice said she does not envision a Saudi offer to send forces to Iraq because Baghdad is reluctant to have neighbours or near neighbours play such a role.

To the extent that the kingdom has been active in Iraq, she said, it has been to encourage Sunnis to join the political process in the country.

The Saudis also have made clear that they favour more equitable treatment for the Sunni minority in Iraq, she said.

The administration, Rice said, has been urging the Saudis to do more to help the Iraqi government. She said that if Iraq descends into chaos, it would negatively affect Saudi interests because Shiite-dominated Iran could fill the vacuum.

Rice, who leaves to sell the US plan to allies in the Middle East, vowed that the United States would not let Tehran disrupt Washington's plan to stabilise Iraq.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates also warned that all Baghdad districts would be now targeted under the new American strategy with Iraqi approval, including the Sadr City slum area, Al Sadr's stronghold in Baghdad.