the Najaf shrine, says Defense Minister Baghdad, Iraq, Aug 24, SPA -- Iraqi National Guardsmen surrounded the sacred Imam Ali Shrine in the city of Najaf on Tuesday and were just meters away from the holy site, wheremilitants fighting U.S. forces have been holed up forweeks, Iraqi Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan said. However, a raid into the shrine was not imminent, he toldAl-Arabiya television. Witnesses in Najaf said the Iraqi forces accompanied U.S.troops into the Old City for the first time in recent dayson Tuesday and were stationed about 200 meters (yards) fromthe shrine. "Today, they complete the operation of encircling theshrine compound," Shaalan said. "The decisive hours are near," he added.--SPA1250 Local Time 0950 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/194617