Fighting in Baghdad's Sadr City leaves 15 dead

updated 12:47 p.m. ET April 10, 2008

BAGHDAD - A U.S. airstrike targeted a building in Baghdad's Sadr City on Thursday, hours after American soldiers clashed with Shiite militants in fighting that left 15 people dead, police and the U.S. military said.

Meanwhile, the military said that an American soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in central Baghdad, raising the number of American troop deaths to 18 since Sunday.

The renewed violence coincided with the congressional testimony of the Bush administration's top two officials in Iraq — Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. Petraeus recommended a pause in drawing down U.S. troops in Iraq while the security situation remains unstable and President Bush is expected to follow his recommendation.

But Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki disagreed with Petraeus' proposal to delay further U.S. troop withdrawals, citing the growing capabilities of Iraq's own security forces.

Disagreement on troops
Petraeus wants the U.S. to complete by the end of July the withdrawal of the 20,000 troops that were sent to Iraq last year, which will leave about 140,000 in the country.

In a 12- to 15-minute progress report, Bush on Thursday announced shorter combat tours, but troops already in Iraq won’t be going home any earlier, at least for now. Bush announced that Army units heading to Iraq after Aug. 1 would serve 12-month tours rather than their current 15-month deployment, a move that war critics say the president had to make to ease strain on the Army.

Bush also endorsed Petraeus' proposal for a 45-day evaluation period to be followed by an indefinite period of assessment before any further pullouts.

Al-Maliki, however, said he disagrees with that decision.

"I believe the American forces can draw down," he told CNN Sunday in an interview. "I don't believe the decision for a drawdown should be paused. ... The more U.S. forces move back until all security responsibilities are handed over and coalition forces remain in a support role. And in a support role, you don't need such a big number."

A senior government adviser said al-Maliki delivered that message to Bush in a 20-minute telephone conversation on Wednesday.

The prime minister told Bush that Iraqi security forces are capable of carrying out their duties and U.S. troops should be pulled out as the situation permits, according to the adviser who sat in on the phone conversation. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the confidential details.

Iran's role?
Al-Maliki also appeared to play down Petraeus' claim that Iran has equipped and trained Shiite militiamen fighting U.S. and Iraqi forces.

Khalaf al-Elyan, a Sunni lawmaker who attended a briefing by al-Maliki on Thursday about anti-militia operations in the southern city of Basra last week, said the prime minister had cited a number of neighboring countries which he said had also "interfered" with that crackdown.

The government offensive against Shiite militias in Basra began March 25 and the fighting ended a week later in a cease-fire brokered with the help of the Iranians.

"Beside Iran, al-Maliki said there was interference from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the (United Arab) Emirates," al-Elyan said.

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