(KUNA) -- Haifa Street and areas within the vicinity of Baratha mosque in Baghdad witnessed gunfire and armed confrontations between Al-Mahdi militias protecting the mosque and local gunmen. Witnesses told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that a Mahdi Army vehicle was burned in the attack, adding that militia were deployed in the streets near the mosque to protect worshipers from possible attacks. They clarified that residents nearby were offended by the presence of the militia which led them to engage in gunfire. The Iraqi army intervened and cordoned off the mosque and the surrounding area in order to control the situation.A suicide bomber had blown himself up in the center of the Baratha mosque last Friday, killing 11 Iraqis and injuring 25 a short time before the weekly prayers began.