U.S. military forces are being repositioned in the vicinity of the holy Iraqi city of Najaf because of the significant threat posed by the cleric Muqtada al Sadr and his militia, says a U.S. military spokesman.

At a Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) briefing April 13 in Baghdad, Army Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt said forces would be repositioned to counter any threat within the country at any time, and Sadr and his militia are posing such a threat now.

"And we will get the forces to the place and at [the] time when it is necessary to go after him, and his militia to end this violence. It is that simple," said Kimmitt, deputy director of operations for the Combined Joint Task Force 7. "I will tell you that the size is significant, I will tell you that the force that is being brought to that region is powerful, and it will be disciplined, and it will be capable of conducting the full spectrum of military operations, which could range from full combat operations, and if necessary it could range down to humanitarian activities."

Dan Senor, a CPA senior adviser, told the news media that there currently appear to be 40 hostages, of 12 different nationalities, taken by various factions in Iraq.

"The FBI is working with coalition forces and with Iraqi security forces to seek out the hostage-takers and the hostages," Senor said. "We have ... a number of other law enforcement agencies from the international community that are involved in this process."

But he said he would not discuss the hostage situation further to avoid giving unnecessary information to the hostage-takers.

Meanwhile, Kimmitt said, coalition forces continue to conduct offensive operations to destroy extremist and foreign fighter elements in Iraq, and stability operations to assist in the restoration of essential services, revitalization of the economy, and handover of sovereignty to the Iraqi people.

"In Multinational Brigade North, the current situation remains relatively stable," Kimmitt said. "Government buildings and infrastructure are secure. Facilities Protection Services and Iraqi Civil Defense Corps are actively augmenting municipal authorities to maintain order."

He said that in Mosul the situation also remains stable as the governor of Nineveh province and other municipal leaders made televised addresses discussing the importance of working with Iraqi security forces and maintaining order.

Attacks on operating bases in central and southern Mosul did not produce casualties or damage to coalition equipment, and attacks two nights ago in Tall Afar caused no casualties, Kimmitt said.

There has been a decrease in the number of anti-coalition attacks over the past week in the north-central zone as the number of offensive operations has increased, he said.

There were five reported attacks on coalition forces in Tikrit; two attacks in Tuz, one by an improvised explosive device; three wounded in Samarra; and four attacks reported in Baqubah, he said.