| U.S. and Iraqi forces on Sunday clashed with militiamen loyal to rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in a sprawling Baghdad Shiite slum, a U.S. official said. U.S. Capt. Brian O'Malley of the 1st Brigade Combat Team said Mahdi Army militiamen fired small arms and rocket-propelled grenades at U.S. troops and Iraqi national guardsmen conducting "routine operations" in Sadr City. There were no casualties among the U.S. and Iraqi forces, O'Malley said. He didn't know if civilians or militants in the area suffered any casualties. The Interior Ministry had no immediate information. |