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U.S. troops clash with Shi'ite militia in Baghdad
U.S. troops clashed with militia fighters loyal to a rebellious Shi'ite Muslim cleric in eastern Baghdad on Sunday, killing eight militiamen and wounding five, Iraqi police said. They said U.S. forces entered the poor Shi'ite district of Sadr City seeking to detain a group of militia members suspected of carrying out guerrilla attacks. The militia, known as the Mehdi Army, is loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr, a young radical cleric whose followers have led two uprisings against U.S. forces. The U.S. military said it had engaged what it termed anti-Iraqi forces in several locations in the east of the capital for around 1-1/2 hours. "There were some anti-Iraqi forces killed," a military spokesman said, but gave no details on numbers. He said no U.S. forces were killed or wounded. No militiamen were detained. British forces say the Mehdi Army was connected to the detention of two British soldiers in the southern city of Basra last week. British troops freed the two using armoured vehicles. Sadr has a strong following in Baghdad, Basra and other southern cities. Representatives of Sadr's movement could not be reached immediately for comment on the Baghdad clashes.
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