BASRA, Iraq —

U.S.-led coalition jets bombed Shiite militia positions in the southern city of Basra as prime minister Nuri al-Maliki on Friday offered cash to local residents to hand in their guns.

More than 180 people have been been killed in clashes since Tuesday and new firefights broke out in Baghdad’s Sadr City and Kadhimiyah, strongholds of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army militia which Iraqi forces are battling in Basra and other regions.

Security and medical officials also reported fierce fighting in and around the southern city of Nasiriyah.

U.S. President George W Bush called the violence a “defining moment” for Iraq and a key test for Maliki’s government.

American-led coalition forces entered the fray for the first time since the Iraqi army launched its crackdown on Shiite fighters in Basra, by bombing the militia’s positions in the city, a British military spokesman said.

Two bombing missions were carried out overnight, Major Tom Holloway said.

“Coalition forces are providing capability in those niche areas that the Iraqi armed forces don’t have,” he said.

“Particularly we are providing them air power over the top of the city. The Iraqi air force does exist but doesn’t yet have fast jets. We are also providing surveillance.

“And also they have been providing air support in terms of dropping munitions on identified militia targets in the city.”

Maliki has vowed to pursue the crackdown against Shiite gunmen despite stiff resistance, protests from sympathizers and mounting casualties.

Bush said there had been progress in Iraq but “it’s still a dangerous, fragile situation,” adding that future troop deployment would be based on ensuring that Washington had “enough of a presence” to achieve success.

The crackdown focusing on areas controlled by Sadr’s Mahdi Army has severely strained a “freeze” of the militia’s activities that the radical cleric ordered last August.

Maliki gave Basra residents until April 8 to surrender heavy and medium weapons in a bid to cut the supply of weaponry to the militants.

The prime minister’s move was part of a three-pronged effort to break Shiite resistance, along with the imposition of a three-day curfew in Baghdad and precision bombing by the U.S.-led coalition.

Basra has become the theater for a turf war between the Mahdi Army and two rival Shiite factions—the powerful Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC) of Abdel Aziz al-Hakim and the smaller Fadhila party.

“All those who have heavy and medium arms, they should surrender them to the security forces and receive money starting from March 28 until April 8,” Maliki told Basra residents in a statement issued by his Baghdad office.

Maliki adviser Sadeq al-Rikabi said that the offer was for all those who had weapons in their homes and was aimed to “take the arms away.”

“We confirm the objectives of the operation in Basra which is to chase illegal elements and to put all the weapons under the control of the law,” the Maliki statement said.

“These weapons create problems for civilians and their property. The government wants to give a chance to solve the problem without having to call upon the wrath of legal action.”

On Wednesday, Maliki announced a separate deadline of 72 hours for Shiite gunmen to surrender their weapons which was effective from Tuesday and ended on Friday.

In Baghdad most of the capital’s main roads were deserted as residents observed the curfew, due to be lifted at dawn on Sunday, while parliament held an emergency session attended by just 54 of its 275 MPs.

Even as Baghdadis observed the curfew, Iraqi and U.S. troops clashed with Shiite gunmen in parts of the capital, including Sadr City and Kadhimiyah.

At least 14 people were killed in Sadr City on Friday, including three children, medics said, while 17 people were killed in Kadhimiyah and other parts of Baghdad.

Mortar bombs also struck Baghdad’s Green Zone, hitting the offices of Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashimi and parliament speaker Mahmud Mashhadani.

Two of Hashemi’s guards were killed and two of Mashhadani’s were wounded.

Since the Basra assault began, more than 180 people have been killed across Shiite areas.

Fighting has raged in other strongholds such as the central cities of Kut, Hilla and Nasiriyah, Iraqi and U.S. military officials said.

In and around Nasiriyah more than 35 people were killed on Friday, a medical official said.

Police in Hilla said they arrested 60 gunmen.

A U.S. soldier was killed south of Baghdad, taking the military’s death toll in Iraq to 4,005, according to independent website www.icasualties.org.

Wire reports

Latest 15 of 17 Total Comments Show All

• 

  skipthesong at 11:33 AM JST - 29th March

  they should out law guns in Iraq..

• 

  SuperLib at 11:41 AM JST - 29th March

  Sadr doesn't have much control over his group anymore. A large portion have left or are fighting directly with Sadr. I guess they aren't as sold on him and adaydream is....maybe you can lead the next round of recruiting? ;)

• 

  DanManjt at 01:19 PM JST - 29th March

  "The Surge is working."

• 

  jambon at 01:39 PM JST - 29th March

  Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, has stressed that the operation is targeting “lawless gangs” in the southern port city of Basra, but fighting has spread to other cities. Members of the Madhi Army, a group of Shia militants loyal to the cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, have staged solidarity attacks.

  Diehards. Their days are numbered.

• 

  Nessie at 01:51 PM JST - 29th March

  The surge is working. Except when it isn't.

• 

  Zaphod at 05:28 PM JST - 29th March

  How nice to know that there are not terrorist anymore. The thugs of the Mehdi armee are, according to our news media just "fighters". That is what the do... fight. What noble profession, perish the thought anyone could see something wrong with that.

• 

  Taka313 at 06:54 PM JST - 29th March

  "Diehards. Their days are numbered."

  Yes, they are. Unfortunately for all of us, no one who supports or planned this war realizes that numbers are infinite.

  Taka

  P.S. You said darn near the same thing about two years ago. Time to turn the record over.

• 

  DanManjt at 11:09 PM JST - 29th March

  Nessie

  Shhhhhhh! You'll just embolden the terrorists.

• 

  Sarge at 11:54 PM JST - 29th March

  "A U.S. soldier was killed south of Baghdad, taking the military's death toll in Iraq to 4,005"

  Our brave soldiers in Iraq deserve our unflinching support in their efforts to defeat our enemies.

• 

  franz75 at 12:06 AM JST - 30th March

  Yap they deserve it but our enemies have been created by Dr. Frankenstein. Now it's out of controls and we have to deal with it.

• 

  Madverts at 12:13 AM JST - 30th March

  "If we don't prevail, if we don't succeed in this war, then we are doomed forever"

  • George Dubya Bush

  So which demented idiot put Americans in this position of potential doom again?

  Jambon?

  ANd to think the same interbred muppet still claims this war "was worth fighting" and my personal favourite has, heh, "made the world a safer place".

  Mission Accomplished. Bring it on, y'all.

• 

  jambon at 12:20 AM JST - 30th March

  "But Basra was where the money was, and the fighting was expected to be long and difficult. On March 26th, the government gave the Mahdi Army three days to surrender, or face some real violence. For some Shia gangsters, this seems to mean American smart bombs. That rumor is all over Basra, and the bad guys are truly scared. Hiding out in a mosque won't help, because American ground troops are not involved. Iraqi cops have no problem clearing out a mosque."

  (cough)

• 

  Zaphod at 02:56 AM JST - 30th March

  Reality check: Basra was controlled by the Brits, not the US. The standard propaganda was that once the Brits withdrew, peace would break out. The Brits withdrew, and (surprise), instead of "peace" Basra got the terror rule of the Sadr militia. Now the central government wants to put the Sadirst in their place, and we are back to the usual cacaphonia of "blame the US"... even though the the US never even showed up in Basra.

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  sincity at 09:31 AM JST - 30th March

  If they are such shiite fighters, why bother bombing them?

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  Sarge at 08:41 PM JST - 31st March

  "The Iraqi air force does exist but doesn't yet have fast jets."

  They used to have fast jets but they flew them to Iran at the outset of the Gulf War, and it seems Iran has yet to figure out how to fly them.

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