In Washington yesterday, Army Col. H.R. McMaster, who has served multiple tours in Iraq, accused Iran of directing assassination operations in Iraq with snipers, in some cases killing Iraqi officials who make statements against Iran, the Washington Post reported.
14 May 2008: AP
Despite fighting that killed 11, a spokesman for a leading Shiite cleric said the deal would be honored.
By Chris Tomlinson, Associated Press
BAGHDAD - A shaky cease-fire appeared to take hold yesterday in Baghdad's Sadr City, after a cleric who brokered the deal for Shiite fighters said they would honor it even after clashes left at least 11 dead and 19 wounded.
The pact was intended to stop seven weeks of fighting between U.S.-supported Iraqi troops and Shiite extremists who have fired more than 1,000 mortar shells and rockets into the Green Zone, home to the government and Western embassies. But the cease-fire did not start well, with clashes Monday and early yesterday.
Iraqi medics reported 11 killed and 19 wounded. There were women and children among the wounded, said hospital officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. The U.S. military said yesterday it could confirm the deaths of six militants.
A U.S. soldier was killed just before dark yesterday when a roadside bomb exploded next to his vehicle in northwest Baghdad, the military said.
The Sadr City fighting and cease-fire have brought into question the authority of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who lives in Iran. Sadr signed a cease-fire agreement in August, but Shiite militiamen have recently ignored those orders.
Lt. Col. Steve Stover, a military spokesman for American troops in Baghdad, said yesterday that the fighting was caused by "special groups," Shiite factions that have broken with Sadr. Many are thought to be trained and armed by Iranian forces. Iran denies the allegations.
Nevertheless, pro-Sadr clerics negotiated the new cease-fire and one said yesterday it was taking hold and would be enforced.
"We signed an agreement, and we are loyal to the agreement we reached," said Sheikh Salah al-Obeidi, an aide to Sadr.
The deal allows Iraqi forces to take over security today in sprawling Sadr City, the stronghold of Sadr's Mahdi Army militia.
Under the compromise, Iraqi forces will try to refrain from seeking American help to restore order. U.S. military officials on Sunday said they would follow the Iraqis' lead.
In Washington yesterday, Army Col. H.R. McMaster, who has served multiple tours in Iraq, accused Iran of directing assassination operations in Iraq with snipers, in some cases killing Iraqi officials who make statements against Iran, the Washington Post reported.
