Eighteen killed in clashes and bombings

US and Iraqi forces clashed with gunmen loyal to radical Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, killing at least eight Iraqis in an east Baghdad slum yesterday.

The clash was certain to heighten tensions between US and Iraqi security forces and followers of al-Sadr, who is building opposition to the country’s new constitution, which will be put to voters in an October 15 referendum.

A suicide car bomber struck an Interior Ministry convoy in Baghdad yesterday, killing seven police commandos and two civilians. Earlier, a bomb mounted on a bicycle blew apart a music store in Hillah, south of the capital, killing one, officials said.