Baghdad, May 14, (VOI)- Sadrist lawmaker Zainab al-Kanani on Wednesday accused U.S. forces of attempting to violate the agreement signed between the bloc and the government to stop military operations in Sadr City, while the U.S. army said these accusations “groundless”.“Since signing the agreement last Saturday there are violations by U.S. forces, which we believe they are trying to provoke tensions in the city,” she told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq (VOI).
Prime Minister Nouri al-MalikiÂ’s Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC) signed an agreement with the Sadrist bloc last Saturday to calm down the situation, which entered into force last Sunday.
“Last night we saw air raids and repeated shelling on Jamila neighborhood in eastern Baghdad,” the lawmaker noted. “There are violations against a number of Sadr City residents by Iraqi security forces,” she underlined.
Intermittent clashes erupted this afternoon in Sadr City areas of Jamila market, al-Hai market and Sahet 55, followed by missiles attacks by U.S. choppers.
“The shelling targeted gunmen who were clashing with security forces,” eyewitnesses told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI). “Shiite Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s al-Mahdi army abides by the agreement but we fear that such provocative acts could flare up the situation again,” al-Kanani explained.
The Sadrist bloc has 30 seats out of the 275-seat parliament.
For his part, Abdellatif Rayan, an MNF-Iraq media adviser, denied that the U.S. army is violating the agreement between the government and the Sadrist bloc, asserting that these accusations are “bare of truth”. “Our operations in Sadr City are limited and we responded only when we are attacked. Our forces are being stationed in the city to back Iraqi forces,” he said.