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7 die in Sadr city blast
09/04/2008 14:53 - (SA)
Baghdad - Seven people died in Sadr City as clashes between security forces and Shi'ite militiamen continued in the capital on Wednesday, a day after top US commander General David Petraeus called for a suspension of US troop withdrawals because of the renewed combat.
Baghdad's Green Zone that housed diplomatic missions and much of Iraq's government also came under renewed attack by rockets or mortars early on Wednesday. The US embassy confirmed the shelling, but said there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Police said the seven victims in Sadr City - including three children - died after projectiles slammed into a house in the sprawling slum, a stronghold of the Mahdi Army militia of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Twenty-seven other people were wounded, said a hospital official who asked not to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Tension rose in Baghdad
Witnesses in the area said the attack, was carried out by US helicopters, but police said the blasts were caused by mortar rounds. The US military had no immediate comment.
The bloodshed served as stark reminders of Iraq's continuing instability five years after US troops swept into Baghdad and toppled Saddam Hussein's regime on April 9 2003. The euphoria of victory was soon dissipated - first by a Sunni insurgency, then Sunni-Shi'ite slaughter and now battles against Shi'ite militiamen.
As tension rose in Baghdad on the eve of the anniversary, the Iraqi military ordered vehicles and motorcycles off the streets from 05:00 on Wednesday until midnight - a move apparently aimed at preventing Shi'ite gunmen from moving freely about the city.
The vehicle ban was imposed despite a decision by al-Sadr to call off his "million-strong" demonstration set for Wednesday to demand an end to the American military presence.
Still, eyewitnesses described the situation in much of Sadr City on Wednesday as calmer than the previous days, despite the sounds of explosions and sporadic gunfire.
On Tuesday, Iraqi military spokesperson Qassim al-Moussawi said a total of 82 militants, 36 civilians and 37 soldiers had been killed since March 16 in fighting in Baghdad, mostly in Sadr City.
At least 12 American service members have died in Iraq since Sunday, and the shelling of the Green Zone has become almost a daily occurrence.
In Washington, Petraeus called on Tuesday for an open-ended suspension of US troop withdrawals this summer because of concern over the renewed fighting.
- AP
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