13 Killed in Baghdad's Sadr City

[April 12, 2008]  BAGHDAD (AP) -- Shiite militants fought U.S. and Iraqi forces around Baghdad's Shiite district of Sadr City early Saturday, despite a call for calm by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr after the assassination of one of his top aides.

At least 13 Shiite militants died in the clashes, which erupted Friday night and tapered off early Saturday, the U.S. military said. Iraqi police reported seven civilians were killed as a result of the fighting between American and government troops and al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia.

Al-Sadr blamed the Americans and their Iraqi allies for Friday's assassination of Riyadh al-Nouri, the director of the cleric's office in the Shiite holy city of Najaf. Gunmen ambushed al-Nouri as he was returning home from Friday prayers.

A curfew was declared in Najaf to prevent a violent backlash by al-Sadr supporters, but it was lifted Saturday.

In Sadr City, a U.S. military statement said American soldiers used Abrams main battle tanks and drone-fired Hellfire missiles in support of troops who came under sniper and rocket attack while trying to erect concrete barriers in the area.

Two armored vehicles were damaged by at least 10 roadside bombs that exploded during the operation, but there were no casualties among the U.S. and Iraqi soldiers, the military said.

The U.S. said a total of 13 extremists were killed in the various encounters.

Iraqi police and hospital officials said the seven civilians died in one of the Hellfire missile strikes.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not allowed to release information. The reports could not be independently verified.

Sadr City is the principal stronghold of the Mahdi Army in the Baghdad area. Government troops supported by the U.S. military have been fighting for nearly two weeks to seal off Sadr City, which has a population of about 2.5 million, after militants there fired rockets and mortars at the U.S.-protected Green Zone and other major targets.

A ban on entering and leaving the district was supposed to have been lifted on Saturday. Eyewitnesses said the blocked-off entrances were briefly opened at 9 a.m., only to be closed again after about 10 minutes. Police later announced that one of the entrances had been opened to motor traffic.

The conflict in Sadr City is part of a major power struggle within the Shiite community ahead of provincial elections expected this fall.

In the southern port of Basra, Iraq's second largest city, the Iraqi army said it had started carrying out "the second phase of operations" by conducting a sweep of the city's Qibla district, looking for illegal weapons, ammunition and wanted criminals.

Last month, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered the military to confront Shiite militias and gangs in Basra but the offensive quickly faltered amid fierce resistance.

[Associated Press; By BUSHRA JUHI]

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