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Iraqi Forces Battle Mahdi Army in Basra

Posted Mar 25, 08 11:32 AM CDT in World 

(Newser) – Iraqi security forces fought pitched gun battles through the streets of Basra today, trying to wrest control of the oil-rich city from Mahdi Army militants. An enraged Muqtada al Sadr promised a “civil revolt” if the attacks on his faction didn’t stop and ordered police cleared from the streets of his Sadr City slum stronghold in Baghdad, Reuters reports.

Sadr’s top Basra official urged calm. “We are ready to negotiate,” he said. Nouri al Maliki was in Basra today, calling the attack proof that Iraqi forces can act without coalition support. So far, at least 22 have been killed, the London Times reports, including many civilians. “There are clashes in the streets,” said one witness. "Bullets coming from everywhere." 

Sources Reuters, Times (UK)

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An Iraqi police officer mans a checkpoint in Basra, Iraq, 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, March 25, 2008.   (AP Photo)
Iraqi police take defensive positions in Basra, Iraq, 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, March 25, 2008.   (AP Photo)
Iraqi police takes a defensive position in Basra, Iraq, 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, March 25, 2008.   (AP Photo)
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Nouri al-Maliki • Moqtada al-Sadr • Mahdi Army • Basra • Sadr City


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