Meanwhile, Iraqi and British forces fought a fierce battle with Shiite militiamen while conducting house-to-house searches early Monday in and around Amarah, 200 miles southeast of Baghdad. It was unclear whether the fighting was part of the new military operations.
A doctor at Amarah's general hospital said 36 bodies had been taken to his facility, though he could not determine how many were militiamen and how many were civilians. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to media. More than 100 people were injured in the fighting, and at least three of those killed were Iraqi policemen, police and hospital officials said.
The British military in Iraq could not immediately comment on the reports, but a Ministry of Defense spokeswoman in London said details of the fighting were still "quite sketchy" but that there were no British casualties. The spokeswoman, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with ministry policy, said the British soldiers played a supporting role to Iraqi security forces during the raid and fighting. |