US occupation troops have surrounded the home of Iraqi Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr in the central Iraqi city of Najaf, an AFP correspondent witnessed. US armoured vehicles, backed by Iraqi security forces, cordoned off the Al-Zahra neighbourhood, where Sadr's home is located in the eastern part of the city. Smoke was seen rising from the area amid the sound of heavy gunfire, mortar fire and rocket-propelled grenade explosions. No further details of the US occupation military action are immediately available and it's not clear if al-Sadr is at home. The AFP correspondent also reports that clashes broke out on Monday between militia loyal to al-Sadr, and US troops and Iraqi security forces in Najaf. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr addresses worshippers at Friday prayers in the Iraqi city of Kufa, about 15 kms north of the southern city of Najaf, Iraq Friday July 23, 2004. (AP)