Mehdi Army fighters attacked police patrols in southern Baghdad overnight, police said today, further fraying a seven-month-old ceasefire called by Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to rein in his militia.
The clashes in Baghdad's Shurta district follow outbreaks of violence in the southern Iraqi city of Kut in which Mehdi Army fighters have battled US and Iraqi security forces. Three people were killed in fresh fighting in Kut last night.
The fighting took place on the same day that Iraq marked the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.
Sadr, whose militia fought two uprisings against USforces in 2004, first called a ceasefire last August and extended it last month. But two weeks ago he issued a statement telling his followers they could defend themselves if attacked.
Shortly afterwards, gunbattles broke out between Mehdi Army fighters and Iraqi and US security forces in Kut, raising fears that the ceasefire was unravelling. Until yesterday, violence involving the Mehdi Army had been confined to Kut.
US military spokesman Major Mark Cheadle said US forces had launched an operation in the western Rashid district of Baghdad, which includes Shurta, to target gunmen firing mortar bombs on civilian areas.
Six gunmen were killed by ground troops and air strikes by Apache attack helicopters and two detained, he said. An Iraqi police lieutenant meanwhile had been kidnapped, he added.
Both Kut and Shurta were reported to be quiet today.
US commanders have said Sadr's ceasefire has contributed to a 60 per cent drop in violence since last June, allowing them to push ahead with plans to begin withdrawing 20,000 troops sent to Iraq last year to help curb sectarian bloodletting.
They are therefore likely to be worried by any sign that Sadr's truce is no longer being observed by some elements of his militia, who are estimated to number in the thousands. Their main stronghold is in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City.
While Mehdi Army leaders have distanced themselves from the fighting in Kut, rank and file militia members are known to be deeply unhappy with the ceasefire, accusing rival Shia factions and the US forces of using it to attack them.