12 killed in Baghdad clashes, Iraqi officials say

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

BAGHDAD - Twelve people died in overnight clashes in Baghdad's Sadr City district, which has become a chief battleground between U.S. and Iraqi forces and the Mahdi Army of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, police and hospital officials said Saturday.

Iraqi troops also kept up the pressure on Shiite militants in the southern city of Basra, where they fanned out through a stronghold of the Mahdi Army.

In Sadr City's general hospital, officials said 71 people were admitted for treatment of injuries received in the fighting. The hospital also received 12 bodies, said an official who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to release the information.

The fighting came amid reports that Iraqi troops backed up by U.S. forces were trying to recapture a position in the district abandoned a day ago by a company of government soldiers.

Security forces in the area also have


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080419/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

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Show of force as Iraqi forces advance in Basra
By Aref Mohammed
2 hours, 9 minutes ago

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi government troops said they captured a stronghold of fighters loyal to anti-U.S. Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in Basra on Saturday after a big show of force by U.S. warplanes and British artillery.

In Baghdad, fighting continued through the night after fierce clashes late on Friday in the Sadr City slum, the cleric's power base in the capital. Police said 12 people had been killed and hospitals received more than 130 wounded.

In the southern oil hub of Basra, thundering explosions and gunfire could be heard at dawn in the heaviest bombardment since Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki launched a crackdown on Sadr's followers late last month in the southern city.

The commander of Iraqi forces in Basra, Lieutenant-General Mohan al-Furaiji, told Reuters his troops had seized the centre of the Hayaniya neighborhood, one of the main strongholds of Sadr's Mehdi Army fighters.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080419/wl_nm/iraq_dc;_ylt=Atb5XkFThcyFYoL3Pk_dmnFm.3QA

[maddezmom]

1. Nearly 20 killed in fighting, bombings in Iraq

Nearly 20 killed in fighting, bombings in Iraq

Associated Press - April 19, 2008 9:13 AM ET

BAGHDAD (AP) - Police and hospital officials in Iraq say nearly 20 people have been killed as a result of clashes and bombings across the country.

At least 12 people were killed in Baghdad's Sadr City district, which has become a chief battleground between U.S. and Iraqi forces and the militia of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr (mook-TAH'-duh al SAH'-dur).

The fighting came amid reports that Iraqi troops backed up by U.S. forces were trying to recapture a position in the district abandoned a day ago by a company of government soldiers.

Meanwhile, in northern Iraq, at least five people were killed in separate roadside bombings in Mosul and Kirkuk.

more:http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=8196738&nav=9qrxNGcu

[ohio2007]

2. Not authorized to release the identities of the 12..."people" ?

ie,
they were not women or children imo


Iraqi Troops Surround Sadr Office in Basra

Iraqi troops have cordoned off the Basra office of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's followers, preventing them from holding Friday prayers.

snip

Sadr supporters say they have been given 48 hours to leave the premises.

snip

http://voanews.com/english/2008-04-18-voa20.cfm



http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L18879002.htm

[bemildred]

3. Iraqi forces fight Mehdi Army

Source: CNN

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Mehdi Army fighters clashed with Iraqi security forces in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya late Friday night and into Saturday morning, an Interior Ministry official said.

Earlier, at least 12 people were killed and at least 71 wounded in clashes between Iraqi forces and Mehdi militiamen in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood, Interior and hospital sources said.

Two children were killed by a roadside bomb while collecting firewood in Tarmiya, about 25 miles north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said. U.S. officials believe the attack was targeting Awakening Councils, or Sons of Iraq -- Sunni groups that have turned against al Qaeda in Iraq.

Also, a roadside bomb in the Diyala province town of Khalis struck a minibus, killing six in an extended family, Friday afternoon, a medical source in the province confirmed.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/04/19/iraq.main/index.html

[bemildred]

4. British and US warplanes bombard Basra

Heavy fighting has broken out in the Iraqi city of Basra.

British artillery and US warplanes have unleashed a bombardment on the city.

But it's aimed at an area of waste ground and is intended to demonstrate fire power.

http://www.eecho.ie/news/story/?trs=mhojidmhgbau

[ohio2007]

5. "Two children were killed by a roadside bomb while collecting firewood "

stay away from roadside woodpiles

[maddezmom]

6. BAGHDAD - Three rockets hit the Sadr hospital in Sadr City late on Saturday

BAGHDAD - Three rockets hit the Sadr hospital in Sadr City late on Saturday, according to Ali Bustan, head of the health directorate in the eastern section of Baghdad. It was unclear if there were any casualties or who fired the rockets. The U.S. military said it was not to blame. Bustan also said the bodies of three women had been brought in along with 40 wounded people following fresh clashes.

* DIWANIYA - 16 decapitated and decomposed bodies were found in the desert near Diwaniya, 180 km (112 miles) south of Baghdad, a senior military official in Diwaniya said. The bodies and heads were in separate plastic bags.

* MOSUL - One civilian was killed and 5 others were wounded when an IED exploded in eastern Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

* MOSUL - Two bodies were found, one in southeastern Mosul and the other in a town south of the city, a senior military official in Mosul said.

NASSIRIYA - One policeman was killed and three wounded in clashes with gunmen near Nassiriya, 375 km (235 miles) southwest of Baghdad, hospital and police officials said.

more:http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20080419/tpl-uk-iraq-developments-aa3debf.html