Iraqi forces clashed with Shiite militias in the southern oil port of Basra today as a security plan to clamp down on violence between rival militia factions in the region began.

Radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced today that he will order his Shiite Mahdi Army to continue its ceasefire by another six months, giving Iraq a chance to continue its fragile recovery.

US forces raided an al-Qaida hide-out north-east of Baghdad today and freed 42 Iraqis imprisoned inside, including some who had been tortured and suffered broken bones, a senior U.S. military official said.

Two policemen and two civilians were killed in separate incidents today in Baghdad, police said.