Fierce clashes erupted on Saturday between unknown militiamen and local residents of at least three Sunni neighborhoods in central and northern Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said.

"Unknown militiamen attacked the predominantly Sunni Arab neighborhoods of Fadhel, Shorja in central Baghdad and Adhamiyah in northern of the city early in the morning," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The attackers with machine guns, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades were faced with stubborn resistance by the Sunni local fighters, the source said.

It was not possible for the Iraqi fledgling security forces to enter the battle-zone, he said, adding "we have a very serious situation there that we are only watching from around the battle- zone and waiting for more backups."

Last week, Shiite militiamen with gunmen wearing police commando uniforms attacked Sunni residential area in the mixed Shiite and Sunni al-Jihad neighborhood in western Baghdad, killing up to 40 people, including women and children, according to a ministry source.

The attackers erected checkpoints stopping cars and killing Sunni people, others attack Sunni houses, leaving dozens of bodies in the streets, particularly near the Mohammed Rasul Allah mosque in the Jihad district, the source said.

Source: Xinhua