BAGHDAD — American soldiers killed 11 suspected Shiite gunmen in clashes Wednesday in a militia stronghold near Baghdad’s Sadr City, scene of a major Iraqi army clampdown, the U.S. military said.
Sadr City itself remained calm, a day after about 10,000 Iraqi troops fanned out in the district in the government’s biggest move yet to establish control in the bastion of the Mahdi Army, the Shiite militia loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Mahdi Army fighters were not visible in the streets of Sadr City, and long-closed shops began to reopen in parts of the district hardest hit by past clashes, as Iraqi soldiers and police set up more checkpoints to beef up their hold.
If the move into Sadr City succeeds, it will be a major boost for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government, which is trying to extend its authority over regions where armed groups and militias have held sway.
The violence Wednesday also raises fears that Shiite fighters could stir up trouble in nearby parts of eastern Baghdad.
The U.S. military identified the 11 killed Wednesday in the New Baghdad district as “special group criminals,” terminology it uses to refer to rogue Shiite fighters who defy al-Sadr’s cease-fire orders.
