Iraqi government: 925 killed in recent fighting in Sadr City
Wednesday, 30 Apr 2008 17:06
Recent fighting in Baghdad's Sadr City killed 925 people
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An Iraqi official has announced that over 900 people were killed in recent fighting between Shia Muslim militiamen and government forces in Baghdad's Sadr City.
Fierce clashes broke out between militant fighters and security forces after the Iraqi government attempted to crack down on rebels in the southern regions of the country, mainly Basra, on March 25th.
The action sparked violence across the country, especially in Sadr City, Baghdad's most populous Shia Muslim district and a key area of the cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.
"There were 925 martyrs in Sadr City and 2,605 others have been wounded," Tehseen Sheikhly, a spokesman for the Iraqi government's Baghdad security plan, told reporters today.
Prime minister Nouri al-Maliki told a press conference earlier that the Iraqi government would continue with its crackdown on the militia.
"We will not allow scavengers in Iraq. The suffering will not be long in Sadr City. We will save our brothers," he said.
He also accused the militias of using the Sadr City residents as "human shields", forcing them to live in constant fear.
"Criminals and lawless gangs are using human shields in Sadr City... They are following the steps of the Baathist regime," Mr al-Maliki alleged.
"I do not know how those people use the [Shia Muslim religious] names we respect like Mahdi and Sadr," he added.