In a sun-baked cemetery in the central Iraqi city of Najaf, fresh are the graves of loyalists to Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr who were killed in clashes in Baghdad last week.

So too is seething anger following the face-off between the cleric's supporters, rival Iran-backed factions and the army that left more than 30 Sadrists dead and 570 others wounded. 

Standing between tombstones, Moussa Abbas said the fight was far from over. 

"Blood was spilt, but there is plenty more where that came from," the 21-year-old Sadr loyalist told AFP. "For every martyr we lose, there are 10 that will come in his place.

"The same way they sacrificed themselves for us, we will stand up for them."

Nearly 24 hours of fighting erupted on August 29 when Sadr supporters stormed the government headquarters in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone after their leader said he would resign from politics.The ensuing battles -- the deadliest in nearly three years -- followed months of disagreements between Sadr and rival Shiite factions, as the political deadlock has left the country without a new government, prime minister or president since elections in October last year. 

After last week's unrest brought tensions to a boil, Sadr supporters said they were willing to give their lives for their leader. 

"I am ready to the be the first of the martyrs," said Taleb Saad, 60, who said he had been caught up in the violence.