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Article: U.S. Role Deepens in Sadr City; Fierce Battle Against Shiite Militiamen Echoes First Years of War
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- April 30, 2008
- Author:
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A four-hour battle Tuesday between U.S. soldiers and Shiite
militiamen left at least 28 Iraqis dead in the capital's Sadr City
neighborhood, making it one of the bloodiest days in a month of
sustained street fighting.
The clashes underscored how deeply U.S. 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 Moqtada al-Sadr.
Until Maliki's push into the southern city of Basra, U.S. troops
were not intensely engaged in Sadr City, a Baghdad neighborhood of
roughly 3 million people that was among the most ...