38 Terrorists Killed

US and Iraqi troops killed up to 38 of al Sadr's terrorists after they attacked check points during a sandstorm. AFP

BAGHDAD (AP) — American and Iraqi troops killed 38 militants in the fiercest clashes with militants in weeks in Baghdad, including 22 who attacked a military checkpoint in a Shiite militia stronghold, the U.S. military said Monday.

Suspected Shiite extremists, apparently taking advantage of a sandstorm that blanketed the capital, attacked several checkpoints and hammered the U.S.-protected Green Zone in the fiercest salvo in weeks on Sunday. The sandstorm had grounded the American aircraft that normally prowl for launching teams.

Attacks continued Monday morning as insurgents lobbed more rockets or mortar shells toward the Green Zone, which houses the U.S. embassy and much of the Iraqi government on the west side of the Tigris River, benefiting from continued limited visibility that gave cover to the launching teams. Alarms could be heard and the public address system in the area warned residents to take cover and stay away from windows.

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While the sandstorm eased, the militants continued to benefit from low visibility that gave cover to the launching teams from the U.S. attack aircraft that normally target them.

The fighting escalated as anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, rejected terms set by the Iraqi government for lifting a crackdown against his Mahdi Army militia.