In remembrance of 4,000
Out of context: Reply #13
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BAGHDAD — Iraqi forces clashed with Shiite militiamen Tuesday in the southern oil port of Basra and rockets rained down on the U.S.-protected Green Zone in Baghdad as followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr expanded a nationwide backlash against government crackdowns.
The U.S. Embassy said no deaths or serious casualties were reported in the Green Zone attacks _ the second major barrage this week launched from Shiite areas. Two rockets landed on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's compound, but did not explode, an Iraqi government security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to disclose the information.
Al-Maliki was in Basra, where he is supervising the operation against the Shiite militia fighters. At least 25 people were killed in the Basra fighting, officials said.
The violence marked a stunning escalation in the confrontation between the Shiite-run government and al-Sadr's forces, who have bitterly complained about the recent arrests of hundreds of backers.
The clashes also threaten to reverse the security gains achieved by U.S. and Iraqi forces. The Bush administration has hailed the decline in violence as a key sign that Iraq is headed for better days.
Al-Sadr declared a unilateral cease-fire last August. That move _ along with a U.S. troop buildup and a Sunni alliance with the American forces _ has contributed to a steep drop in violence.
But the truce is now under serious pressure. Al-Sadr's allies have grown increasingly angry over U.S. and Iraqi raids and detentions, demanding the release of followers.