Clashes continue in areas surrounding Sadr City

[unhappycamper]

1st Lt. Galen Peterson , Blue Platoon leader, shouts out the location of an attacker while Staff Sgt. Josh Everett, a 25-year-old section sergeant for Red Platoon, shoots his M-4 in that direction.


Clashes continue in areas surrounding Sadr City
By James Warden, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, March 27, 2008

BAGHDAD — Clashes continued Wednesday in areas surrounding the volatile Sadr City section of Baghdad, a day after one American soldier died during fighting between coalition forces and Shiite militants.

Wednesday’s fighting was of “similar intensity,” with U.S. troops backing Iraqi forces. Minor Iraqi casualties were reported, and a rocket attack struck near a U.S. outpost, but no U.S. casualties were reported.

“Our guys took it to them today,” Maj. John Gossart, executive officer of the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, said. “( The insurgents ) paid a little bit.”

The militants continued the attacks on Iraqi security forces checkpoints and American soldiers as they had on Tuesday in several isolated firefights just outside Sadr City. The Shiite stronghold is off limits to coalition forces despite the self-enforced cease-fire declared by Muqtada al-Sadr, leader of the Jaysh al Mahdi, or Mahdi Army.

The attackers fought Americans Tuesday with AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds. It’s not known exactly how the American soldier died, although reports suggest he died of shrapnel wounds from a mortar or RPG.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=53622