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Dozens killed in Iraqi clashes
At least 55 killed and 300 injured as battles spread from Basra to Baghdad
MSNBC News Services
updated 7:52 a.m. MT, Wed., March. 26, 2008
BAGHDAD - Iraq's prime minister on Wednesday gave gunmen in the southern oil port of Basra three days to surrender their weapons and renounce violence as clashes between security forces and Shiite militia fighters erupted for a second day.
Suspected Shiite extremists also unleashed rockets or mortars against the U.S.-protected Green Zone in central Baghdad for the third day this week.
Three Americans were seriously injured in the attacks, U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo said. At least eight Iraqis also were killed after rounds fell short in several areas of Baghdad.
At least 55 people have been killed and 300 were reported wounded in Basra and Baghdad after the fighting spread to the capital's main Shiite district of Sadr City, police and hospital officials said.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was in Basra to supervise a crackdown against the spiraling violence between militia factions vying for control of the center of the country's vast oil industry located near the Iranian border.
Cease-fire tested
The violence has raised fears that the cease-fire declared in August by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr could unravel, presenting the gravest challenge to the Iraqi government in months.
Sadiq al-Rikabi, a chief adviser to al-Maliki, said gunmen who fail to turn over their weapons to police stations in Basra by Friday will be targeted for arrest. He added that they also must sign a pledge renouncing violence.
"Any gunman who does not do that within these three days will be an outlaw," he said.
A resumption of intense fighting by al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia could kill more U.S. soldiers and threaten -- at least in the short run -- the security gains Washington has hailed as a sign that Iraq is on the road to recovery.
Officials in al-Sadr's headquarters in Najaf, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the anti-U.S. cleric had sent local representatives to ask al-Maliki to leave Basra and to resolve the problems peacefully. The aides also told the government no negotiations could be held until Iraqi reinforcements withdrew from the city.
Al-Sadr, an influential leader who has not been seen in public for months, issued a statement on Tuesday calling on Iraqis to stage sit-ins all over Iraq and said he would declare "civil revolt" if attacks by U.S. and Iraqi forces continued.
Power struggle
The burgeoning crisis -- part of an intense power struggle among Shiite political factions -- also will test the skill and resolve of Iraq's Shiite-led government in dealing with Shiite militias, which have close ties with the national leadership.
The Sadrists are angry over recent raids and detentions, saying U.S. and Iraqi forces have taken advantage of the cease-fire to crack down on the movement.
They also have accused rival Shiite parties, which control Iraqi security forces, of engineering the arrests to prevent them from mounting an effective election campaign. The showdown with al-Sadr has been brewing for months but has accelerated since parliament agreed in February to hold provincial elections by the fall.
Renegade militia factions
U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner insisted the Sadrists were not being singled out and blamed Iranian-backed rogue militia factions for the recent violence, although he declined to link Iran directly to the fighting.
Bergner also noted the Iraqi government was taking the lead in the Basra operation, although U.S. troops were involved as members of transition teams helping train the Iraqis.
He said the Iraqi government had appealed to Iran to help restore calm in Basra.
"This is not a battle against the (Mahdi Army) nor is it a proxy war between the United States and Iran," he said. "It is the government of Iraq taking the necessary action to deal with criminals on the streets."
Gunfire echoed through the streets of Basra as Iraqi soldiers and police fought the Mahdi Army for a second day on Wednesday, police said.
Reinforcements were sent to Basra from the Shiite holy city of Karbala, Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said, adding a large number of gunmen have been detained.
Many towns and cities across southern Iraq were under a night-time curfew as authorities sought to prevent further outbreaks of violence.
Ground commander Maj. Gen. Ali Zaidan told Reuters his forces had killed more than 30 militants on the first day of the operation, which began before dawn on Tuesday. More than 25 were wounded and around 50 were captured, he said.
“The operation is still going on and will not stop until it achieves its objectives,” he said. “It is on the same scale as [Tuesday].”
Police said a roadside bomb exploded near a car in northern Basra early on Wednesday killing all of the passengers.
'Heavy gunfire'
“Now there is heavy gunfire and I have heard the sounds of explosions. I also saw a group of gunmen planting roadside bombs,” said Abbas, a Basra resident who would only give his first name.
Streets in Basra were largely empty except for Iraqi security forces, and shops remained closed. At least four Iraqi helicopters could be seen hovering over the city.
“The situation is so tense. I did not go to work today. Nobody is going to work,” said Kareem, a Basra resident who would only give his first name. “There are gunmen at every intersection.”
An official with Iraq’s Southern Oil Company said fighting had not affected Basra’s oil output or exports, which provide the vast majority of government revenues.
“The work of the oil companies concerning production and exports continue as normal because the military operations are taking place far away,” he said.
Civilians killed in Tikrit
Meanwhile, several Iraqi civilians were killed or injured in separate fighting between U.S. troops and suspected al-Qaida in Iraq insurgents in the northern town of Tikrit, the U.S. military said.
The U.S. troops, who were targeting a militant suspected of organizing car bombs, called in an airstrike after coming under heavy fire from insurgents using civilians as shields when they approached a house, the military said.
At least seven bodies were found in the rubble of houses destroyed in the airstrike, an Iraqi police officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. He said a local judge who owned one of the houses was among the dead.
Dozens killed in Iraqi clashes - Conflict in Iraq - MSNBC.com
At least 55 killed and 300 injured as battles spread from Basra to Baghdad
MSNBC News Services
updated 7:52 a.m. MT, Wed., March. 26, 2008
BAGHDAD - Iraq's prime minister on Wednesday gave gunmen in the southern oil port of Basra three days to surrender their weapons and renounce violence as clashes between security forces and Shiite militia fighters erupted for a second day.
Suspected Shiite extremists also unleashed rockets or mortars against the U.S.-protected Green Zone in central Baghdad for the third day this week.
Three Americans were seriously injured in the attacks, U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo said. At least eight Iraqis also were killed after rounds fell short in several areas of Baghdad.
At least 55 people have been killed and 300 were reported wounded in Basra and Baghdad after the fighting spread to the capital's main Shiite district of Sadr City, police and hospital officials said.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was in Basra to supervise a crackdown against the spiraling violence between militia factions vying for control of the center of the country's vast oil industry located near the Iranian border.
Cease-fire tested
The violence has raised fears that the cease-fire declared in August by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr could unravel, presenting the gravest challenge to the Iraqi government in months.
Sadiq al-Rikabi, a chief adviser to al-Maliki, said gunmen who fail to turn over their weapons to police stations in Basra by Friday will be targeted for arrest. He added that they also must sign a pledge renouncing violence.
"Any gunman who does not do that within these three days will be an outlaw," he said.
A resumption of intense fighting by al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia could kill more U.S. soldiers and threaten -- at least in the short run -- the security gains Washington has hailed as a sign that Iraq is on the road to recovery.
Officials in al-Sadr's headquarters in Najaf, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the anti-U.S. cleric had sent local representatives to ask al-Maliki to leave Basra and to resolve the problems peacefully. The aides also told the government no negotiations could be held until Iraqi reinforcements withdrew from the city.
Al-Sadr, an influential leader who has not been seen in public for months, issued a statement on Tuesday calling on Iraqis to stage sit-ins all over Iraq and said he would declare "civil revolt" if attacks by U.S. and Iraqi forces continued.
Power struggle
The burgeoning crisis -- part of an intense power struggle among Shiite political factions -- also will test the skill and resolve of Iraq's Shiite-led government in dealing with Shiite militias, which have close ties with the national leadership.
The Sadrists are angry over recent raids and detentions, saying U.S. and Iraqi forces have taken advantage of the cease-fire to crack down on the movement.
They also have accused rival Shiite parties, which control Iraqi security forces, of engineering the arrests to prevent them from mounting an effective election campaign. The showdown with al-Sadr has been brewing for months but has accelerated since parliament agreed in February to hold provincial elections by the fall.
Renegade militia factions
U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner insisted the Sadrists were not being singled out and blamed Iranian-backed rogue militia factions for the recent violence, although he declined to link Iran directly to the fighting.
Bergner also noted the Iraqi government was taking the lead in the Basra operation, although U.S. troops were involved as members of transition teams helping train the Iraqis.
He said the Iraqi government had appealed to Iran to help restore calm in Basra.
"This is not a battle against the (Mahdi Army) nor is it a proxy war between the United States and Iran," he said. "It is the government of Iraq taking the necessary action to deal with criminals on the streets."
Gunfire echoed through the streets of Basra as Iraqi soldiers and police fought the Mahdi Army for a second day on Wednesday, police said.
Reinforcements were sent to Basra from the Shiite holy city of Karbala, Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said, adding a large number of gunmen have been detained.
Many towns and cities across southern Iraq were under a night-time curfew as authorities sought to prevent further outbreaks of violence.
Ground commander Maj. Gen. Ali Zaidan told Reuters his forces had killed more than 30 militants on the first day of the operation, which began before dawn on Tuesday. More than 25 were wounded and around 50 were captured, he said.
“The operation is still going on and will not stop until it achieves its objectives,” he said. “It is on the same scale as [Tuesday].”
Police said a roadside bomb exploded near a car in northern Basra early on Wednesday killing all of the passengers.
'Heavy gunfire'
“Now there is heavy gunfire and I have heard the sounds of explosions. I also saw a group of gunmen planting roadside bombs,” said Abbas, a Basra resident who would only give his first name.
Streets in Basra were largely empty except for Iraqi security forces, and shops remained closed. At least four Iraqi helicopters could be seen hovering over the city.
“The situation is so tense. I did not go to work today. Nobody is going to work,” said Kareem, a Basra resident who would only give his first name. “There are gunmen at every intersection.”
An official with Iraq’s Southern Oil Company said fighting had not affected Basra’s oil output or exports, which provide the vast majority of government revenues.
“The work of the oil companies concerning production and exports continue as normal because the military operations are taking place far away,” he said.
Civilians killed in Tikrit
Meanwhile, several Iraqi civilians were killed or injured in separate fighting between U.S. troops and suspected al-Qaida in Iraq insurgents in the northern town of Tikrit, the U.S. military said.
The U.S. troops, who were targeting a militant suspected of organizing car bombs, called in an airstrike after coming under heavy fire from insurgents using civilians as shields when they approached a house, the military said.
At least seven bodies were found in the rubble of houses destroyed in the airstrike, an Iraqi police officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. He said a local judge who owned one of the houses was among the dead.
Dozens killed in Iraqi clashes - Conflict in Iraq - MSNBC.com
