Air strikes, curfews continue in Iraq

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Source: CCTV.com | 03-29-2008 09:47

In the Iraqi capital, fierce battles broke out in the Shiite slum of Sadr city at dawn on Friday.

In the Iraqi capital, fierce battles broke out in the Shiite slum of Sadr city at dawn on Friday. (CCTV.com)

And authorities in the southern city of Basra have imposed curfews after three days of unrest.

According to a spokesman for US forces in Baghdad, a US helicopter fired a missile at several gunmen, in one pre-dawn strike, killing four of them.

US forces say they killed 27 fighters in operations in the capital on Thursday.

On Friday, US forces were drawn deeper into Iraq's four-day-old crackdown on Shi'ite militants.

They launched air strikes in the southern oil city of Basra for the first time and also battled militants in Baghdad.

According to an official speaking on condition of anonymity, no unauthorized vehicles, motorcycles or pedestrian traffic will be allowed on the streets of Basra from 11 p.m. on Thursday to 5 a.m. on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi government says it has given residents of Basra until April 8th to turn over heavy- and medium-size weapons in return for a reward.

On Friday, the office of Iraq's parliamentary speaker in the Green Zone was hit in a mortar or rocket attack.

According to a government official, neither the speaker nor his staff was in the office. But one security guard was killed.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei