World

U.S. Heightens Fight With Shiite Militias

May 5, 2008 / 9:25 AM EDT / CBS/AP

A U.S. Air Force gunship strafed Shiite extremists who attacked U.S. soldiers in Baghdad on Monday, and the military said it killed at least nine militants in recent clashes in the capital.

Iraqi health officials on Monday said 41 that people, including women and children, have been wounded since Sunday in the militia stronghold of Sadr City, where U.S. and Iraqi forces are battling the followers of radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

The military confirmed Monday that two Iraqi civilians were wounded in a Hellfire missile attack late Sunday in Baghdad's southwestern Aamel neighborhood and were evacuated to a military hospital.

Clashes erupted before noon Monday in the militia stronghold of Shula and heavy gunfire could be heard. Apache attack helicopters could be seen circling the center of Shula and U.S. armored vehicles blocked entrances into the neighborhood.

Earlier on Monday, U.S. soldiers called for air support after coming under fire from a rocket propelled grenade and small arms in Kazimiyah district. More than an hour later, one militant was killed with rounds from an AC-130 gunship, the military said.

The AC-130, a lethal tool used by the military since the Vietnam War, can slowly circle over a target for long periods.

Human rights groups have criticized their use in urban settings where militants may be among crowded populations of noncombatants. The four-engine gunships were also used to support the U.S. attack that took the western city of Fallujah from insurgents in November 2004.

U.S. and Iraqi officials have accused militants of using civilians as human shields during street battles that started more than six weeks ago following a government vow to crack down on the militias.

In other developments:

A bomb hit a motorcade carrying Iraq's first lady through Baghdad on Sunday, while the U.S. military said a roadside explosion killed four Marines in the deadliest attack in western Anbar province in months. The motorcade bombing in Baghdad's Karrada district injured four of Hiro Ibrahim Ahmed's bodyguards but left her unharmed, according to the office of her husband, President Jalal Talabani.

Iran said Monday it would not hold a new round of talks with the U.S. on security in Iraq until American forces end their current assault against Shiite militias. U.S. and Iraqi forces have been battling supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, and Iraq's government spokesman said Sunday that the crackdown would continue even if Iran pulled out of the talks. Meanwhile on Sunday, a top Iraqi official said Sunday there was no "conclusive" evidence that Shiite extremists have been directly supplied with some Iranian arms as alleged by the United States.