Shi'ite gunmen in Baghdad ignore truce
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An agreement aimed at ending fightingin the Baghdad bastion of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadrappeared on the verge of collapse on Tuesday after gunmenlaunched a spate of attacks on U.S. troops.
The deal between the ruling Shi'ite alliance and Sadr'sopposition movement in parliament to end fighting in the SadrCity slum district was formally signed on Monday.
But with the ink barely dry on the 16-point pact, clashesflared overnight and through Tuesday, raising questions overhow much control the anti-American cleric has over some of theMehdi Army militiamen who profess allegiance to him.
"It is clear that Sadr does not control all of the armedgroups that make up the Mehdi Army," Kadhum al-Muqdadi, aprofessor at Baghdad University, told Reuters. "This fightingcould last a long time."
A statement from the Mehdi Army leadership read out inmosques in Sadr City late on Monday said the agreement neededto be respected, residents said.
Nevertheless, the U.S. military said violence broke outbetween its troops and militants in Sadr City overnight, whereseven weeks of clashes have already killed hundreds of people.
A Reuters witness said there had also been intense gunbattles between Iraqi security forces and militiamen on Tuesdayin Shula, a Sadr stronghold in northwestern Baghdad.
Iraqi police said at least 11 people had been killed and 20wounded in clashes in Sadr City since Monday night.
They did not give precise details but the U.S. militarysaid it had killed at least three militiamen planting roadsidebombs. U.S. troops were attacked numerous times with small armsfire.
A spokesman for the U.S. military in Baghdad,Lieutenant-Colonel Steven Stover, said U.S. forces onlytargeted militants launching attacks in Monday night's clashes.
"We're not looking for a fight -- we are establishing asafe neighbourhood for Sadr City residents," Stover said. "They(the militants) are obviously not listening to any agreement."
The deal to end the fighting was announced on Saturday andwelcomed by Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Hiscrackdown in late March on militias sparked fierce resistancefrom Shi'ite gunmen, especially the Mehdi Army.
SADRISTS URGE PATIENCE
A senior aide to Sadr urged patience with the truce, sayingit might take time to filter down.
"Ceasefires cannot always be implemented immediately.Violations will happen in the first few days. Some armed groupsmay not be aware of it," Luwaa Sumaisem told reporters in theholy Shi'ite city of Najaf, where Sadr has a major office.
The U.S. blames much of the violence on rogue elements ofSadr's militia it says get weapons, money and training fromShi'ite neighbour Iran, especially modern rockets that havebeen fired at the Green Zone government compound in Baghdad.
Tehran denies the accusations.
A U.S. military official said a surface-to-air missile wasfired from eastern Baghdad at a U.S. aircraft on Saturdayevening. The missile exploded harmlessly, the official said.
He did not say what type of aircraft was attacked, but theNew York Times reported the missile was fired at a U.S. Apacheattack helicopter.
Maliki says operations against militias are intended toimpose law and order. Sadrist officials have accused him oftrying to sideline the cleric's popular mass movement beforeprovincial elections in October.
The movement, which boycotted the last local elections in2005, is expected to do well at the expense of other Shi'iteparties supporting Maliki, especially in the Shi'ite south.
Sadr, who is believed to be living in Iran, originallyimposed a ceasefire on his Mehdi Army last August as part ofattempts to reassert control over his organisation.
While the order held for many months, it has appearedincreasingly irrelevant in recent weeks.
(Additional reporting by Wisam Mohammed, Aseel Kami andKhalid al-Ansary in Baghdad and Khaled Farhan in Najaf, Editingby Dean Yates and Giles Elgood)