Clashes between Shi’ite, Iraqi forces leave at least 34 dead

DIWANIYAH, Iraq – Gun battles between Iraqi troops and Shi’ite militiamen loyal to a popular cleric in this Shi’ite-dominated city south of Baghdad left at least 34 people dead and dozens wounded, officials said yesterday.

The fighting broke out at about 11 p.m. on Sunday when Iraqi soldiers conducted raids in three neighbourhoods to flush out the militiamen and seize weapons, said army Captain Fatik Aied.He said the fighting continued yesterday with the militiamen of the Mahdi Army, which is loyal to radical anti-US cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.Shi’ite militiamen had set up checkpoints and taken over seven neighbourhoods – about half of the city, while the army had retreated to other areas and was waiting for reinforcements from nearby Najaf, Aied said.Dr Mohammed Abdul-Muhsen of the city’s general hospital said 34 bodies had been brought in – 25 Iraqi soldiers, seven civilians and two militiamen.He said at least 70 people were wounded, but could not immediately give a breakdown.Aied said the militiamen used rocket propelled grenades and automatic assault rifles.At least 10 militiamen had been arrested.Sheik Adil al-Ansari, an al-Sadr aide based in Diwaniyah, blamed the army.”It was an irresponsible act by the Iraqi army when they opened fire on the volunteers.It (the fighting) is over now and a delegation from the province will go to meet Muqtada al-Sadr ” he told The Associated Press.”Muqtada al-Sadr ordered the volunteers to calm down, exercise self-control and resolve the problem ” he said.An indefinite vehicle ban was imposed in the city, said Adnan Abdu-Kadhim, a member of the provincial council Diwaniyah, 130 km south of Baghdad, is a Shi’ite dominated city where the influence of Mahdi Army has been gradually increasing.It already runs a virtual parallel government in Sadr City, a slum in eastern Baghdad.But the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shi’ite, has found it difficult to rein in al-Sadr, whose movement holds 30 of the 275 seats in parliament and five Cabinet posts.Al-Sadr’s backing also helped al-Maliki win the top job during painstaking negotiations within the Shi’ite alliance that led to the ouster of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari.Al-Sadr mounted two major uprisings against the American-led coalition in 2004 when US authorities closed his newspaper and pushed an Iraqi judge into issuing an arrest warrant against him.But American forces have also been wary of confronting the Mahdi Army because of al-Sadr’s clout over the government and his large following among Shi’ites, who are in a majority in Iraq.Nampa-APon Sunday when Iraqi soldiers conducted raids in three neighbourhoods to flush out the militiamen and seize weapons, said army Captain Fatik Aied.He said the fighting continued yesterday with the militiamen of the Mahdi Army, which is loyal to radical anti-US cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.Shi’ite militiamen had set up checkpoints and taken over seven neighbourhoods – about half of the city, while the army had retreated to other areas and was waiting for reinforcements from nearby Najaf, Aied said.Dr Mohammed Abdul-Muhsen of the city’s general hospital said 34 bodies had been brought in – 25 Iraqi soldiers, seven civilians and two militiamen.He said at least 70 people were wounded, but could not immediately give a breakdown.Aied said the militiamen used rocket propelled grenades and automatic assault rifles.At least 10 militiamen had been arrested.Sheik Adil al-Ansari, an al-Sadr aide based in Diwaniyah, blamed the army.”It was an irresponsible act by the Iraqi army when they opened fire on the volunteers.It (the fighting) is over now and a delegation from the province will go to meet Muqtada al-Sadr ” he told The Associated Press.”Muqtada al-Sadr ordered the volunteers to calm down, exercise self-control and resolve the problem ” he said.An indefinite vehicle ban was imposed in the city, said Adnan Abdu-Kadhim, a member of the provincial council Diwaniyah, 130 km south of Baghdad, is a Shi’ite dominated city where the influence of Mahdi Army has been gradually increasing.It already runs a virtual parallel government in Sadr City, a slum in eastern Baghdad.But the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shi’ite, has found it difficult to rein in al-Sadr, whose movement holds 30 of the 275 seats in parliament and five Cabinet posts.Al-Sadr’s backing also helped al-Maliki win the top job during painstaking negotiations within the Shi’ite alliance that led to the ouster of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari.Al-Sadr mounted two major uprisings against the American-led coalition in 2004 when US authorities closed his newspaper and pushed an Iraqi judge into issuing an arrest warrant against him.But American forces have also been wary of confronting the Mahdi Army because of al-Sadr’s clout over the government and his large following among Shi’ites, who are in a majority in Iraq.Nampa-AP