Militants killed in Baghdad clashes

US and Iraqi troops have killed 38 militants in fierce clashes in Baghdad, including 22 who attacked a military checkpoint in a Shiite militia stronghold, the US military said today.

Suspected Shiite extremists, apparently taking advantage of a sandstorm that blanketed the capital, attacked several checkpoints and hammered the US-protected Green Zone yesterday.

The sandstorm had grounded the American aircraft that normally prowl for launching teams.

Today, the insurgents lobbed more rockets or mortar shells toward the Green Zone, which houses the US embassy and much of the Iraqi government on the west side of the Tigris River.

Alarms could be heard and the public address system in the area warned residents to take cover and stay away from windows.

The fighting escalated as anti-US cleric Muqtada al-Sadr rejected terms set by the Iraqi government for lifting a crackdown against his Mahdi Army militia.

Yesterday’s clashes were concentrated in Sadr City, the stronghold of the Mahdi Army, where American soldiers used Abrams main battle tanks to repel the attackers.

The American and Iraqi soldiers came under attack “by a large group of criminals”, the US military said in a statement.

Fifty-eight people, including five children and eight women, were also injured in clashes, local health officials said.

Yesterday, the US military claimed success with operations that have effectively sealed off the southern section of Sadr City.