Mehdi Army Breaks Ceasefire

Mehdi army breaks ceasefire after al-Sadr resigns, Iraqi police respond. Reuters

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi police raided strongholds of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army in the southern city of Kut on Wednesday after the militia broke a ceasefire and clashed with security forces a day earlier.

The city's police chief said at least 11 people were killed in Tuesday's gunbattles in which U.S. special forces called in air strikes after Iraqi authorities asked them for help.

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In Kut, police officer Lieutenant-Colonel Sudad Jamil said police had regained control of four districts where the Mehdi Army had a strong presence and were going house-to-house hunting for gunmen who had taken part in Tuesday's fighting.

The largest neighborhood in Kut, al-Jihad, had been sealed off by Iraqi security forces, he said. Residents inside Jihad said Mehdi Army gunmen were everywhere and there were rumors that roadside bombs had been planted in street entrances.

DISTRICTS "PURGED"

"We have purged four neighborhoods and arrested a group of Mehdi Army gunmen, including a senior leader," said another police officer, Lieutenant Aziz al-Amara, who commands a rapid reaction unit.

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