The U.S. military said an American soldier has died from injuries sustained when his vehicle was destroyed in a roadside bombing. The statement Tuesday said the explosion happened Monday night at about 9:30 p.m. Eleven U.S. soldiers have been reported killed in Iraq since Sunday.
Meanwhile, Iraqi police said government forces and members of the Mehdi Army have commenced fighting in Baghdad's Sadr City district. A police officer told AP that the two sides are using infantry weapons, rocket-propelled grenades and light mortars. According to him, eight civilians including three children have been injured in the clashes.
The fighting erupted Tuesday morning when Iraqi forces tried to enter the Sadr district engulfed in fierce clashes between Iraqi forces and Mehdi Army fighters since March 25.
Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr faces an ultimatum to either dissolve his militia or give up politics. On Monday, al-Sadr's aides said he would only dismantle his militia if top Shiite clerics including Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani order him to do so.
© 2008 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
