Iraqi Soldiers Clash With Shiite Militiamen in Baghdad

Dozens of al-Sadr’s militiamen killed in Sadr City

This is a real “dog that did nothing in the nighttime” story. Notice the absence of U.S. forces! Later on, al-Sadr’s spokesman refers to Americans, but I’ll take the WaPo’s story as written; this was an all-Iraqi operation. And that’s a huge story. When regular Iraqi army forces can (and will) go up against other Iraqis, that’s what’s required to prevail.

Iraqi soldiers clashed Friday morning with Shiite militiamen in the eastern Baghdad slum of Sadr City, killing or capturing 30 to 40 fighters in one engagement, according to a statement from the U.S. military.

While the statement did not name the militia involved, that area of Baghdad is controlled by the Mahdi Army — a force loyal to firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. One of those taken prisoner was a “high-level” leader of “multiple insurgent cells” responsible for kidnappings and killings, including the deaths of two Iraqi soldiers, the statement said.

The militia fighter captured by Iraqi forces, who was not named, is also linked to a committee carrying out vigilante justice against political enemies, the military’s statement said. He is also accused of importing weapons from Syria to Iraq.

A 43-minute firefight ensued when an Iraqi unit was shot at while traveling through the area, the statement said. Militiamen reportedly attacked with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades from the rooftops of a building where the senior leader was later detained.

more from the New York Times

Taken together, the raids were a rare strike by the Shiite-led government security forces against forces linked to Mr. Sadr. The events suggested that Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki was making good on his vow to crack down on Sunni Arab and Shiite militias alike, in an effort to halt the accelerating cycles of sectarian violence that have begun to divide Iraq into ethnic enclaves.

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