By Waleed Ibrahim and Wisam Mohammed
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 gunmenattacked 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 Mehdi Army statement read out in mosques in Sadr Citylate on Monday said the deal must be respected.
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. Reuters TVfootage showed five children running for cover as automatic gunfire echoed from between Sadr City's huddled brick houses.
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.
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.
One Mehdi Army commander called Abu Ammar said his menwould not recognise the truce unless U.S. and Iraqi forcesended what he called attacks on militiamen.
"If this truce is just a game, our guns are ready," hesaid.
Lieutenant-Colonel Steven Stover, a spokesman for the U.S.military in Baghdad, said troops were only targeting militantslaunching attacks or planting bombs.
"We're not looking for a fight," Stover said. "They (themilitants) are obviously not listening to any agreement."
SADR AIDE URGES PATIENCE
A senior political aide to Sadr urged patience with thetruce, saying it 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. military blames much of the violence on rogueelements of Sadr's militia it says get weapons, money andtraining from Shi'ite neighbour Iran, especially modern rocketsthat have been fired at the Green Zone government compound inBaghdad.
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 said it was a U.S. Apache attack 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.
(Additional reporting by Aseel Kami and Khalid al-Ansary inBaghdad and Khaled Farhan in Najaf, Writing by Tim Cocks,Editing by Dean Yates and Giles Elgood)
