BAGHDAD, Iraq — U.S. officials said Wednesday that a military campaign in the stronghold of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has succeeded in nearly eliminating the deadly rocket and mortar attacks launched from the area.
U.S. and Iraqi forces have been battling for weeks in the capital’s Sadr City neighborhood against Shiite fighters tied to al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army militia. The U.S. military said at least 142 suspected militant fighters have been killed, including at least 15 Tuesday night.
The military on Wednesday also announced that a U.S. soldier was killed by small-arms fire in eastern Baghdad.
American officials said the mission in Sadr City was to stop attacks on the heavily fortified Green Zone, the center of U.S. military and Iraqi government operations here. The barrages had risen sharply since Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki launched a campaign against Shiite fighters last month in the southern city of Basra.
“We accomplished what we were trying to do, which was to stop the indirect fire,” said Col. Allen Batschelet, chief of staff for Multinational Division-Baghdad.
Many residents of Sadr City, however, contend that the U.S. campaign has alienated many residents and pushed them to join the militia.
“Now for me, my first and last enemy is the Americans,” said Abu Nidal al-Zaidi, 47, an unemployed Sadr City resident who used to sell vegetables. “The Americans target women and children and are ruining our lives. Now everyone here carries weapons and wants revenge.”
The U.S. military has said that its precision-guided weapons target only militant fighters. And troops are working to win over residents by helping provide humanitarian assistance.
In an effort to solidify gains, U.S. officials are building a wall along al-Quds Street, seeking to create a safe area south of the barrier where redevelopment can occur. But as is often the case, local citizens don’t necessarily see things the same way as the U.S. military.
Zaidi said residents are furious about the wall, comparing it to Israeli barriers in and around the Palestinian territories. “It is like they are trying to create a prison for us in this city,” he said.
