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Baghdad: At least 28 Iraqis were killed and over 50 injured following a four-hour battle on Tuesday between US soldiers and Shiite militiamen in the capital's Sadr City neighbourhood, making it one of the bloodiest days in a month of sustained street-fighting.
The clashes underlined how deeply US forces have been drawn into heavy combat in the huge Shiite district since Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki unexpectedly launched an offensive in southern Iraq last month against Shiite militias, primarily the Mahdi Army of anti-American cleric Muqtada Al Sadr.
More than 500 people have been killed and 2,100 injured in Sadr City alone since fighting erupted there again in late March, according to lawmakers loyal to Al Sadr. Residents of Sadr City said Tuesday's death toll was at least 50.
The US military said it has killed more than 200 fighters in the past month in the area, where it says militiamen have fired 600 rockets and mortars at US and Iraqi targets.
The battle erupted as US forces tried to evacuate a soldier injured by small-arms fire, according to the US military. During the evacuation, the troops were attacked with roadside bombs, as well as rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire from houses, storefronts, alleyways and rooftops, said a US military spokesman. Six US soldiers were wounded, but their injuries were not considered life-threatening.
The US soldiers responded by firing rockets armed with high-explosive, 200lb. warheads, killing 28 fighters, he said.
But Sadr City residents gave a very different accounting of the fighting. They said at least 50 people were killed and 130 injured, many of them women and children.
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