Iraqi and U.S. forces backed by aircraft raided early Wednesday militiamen loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Baghdad's eastern slum of Sadr City, police said.

"The U.S. and Iraqi forces cordoned off and searched several parts of the slum at about 5:00 a.m. (0200 GMT), prompting fierce clashes with Sadr's Mehdi militiamen," a well-informed police source told Xinhua.

U.S. helicopters and warplanes provided support to the raiding forces pounding several insurgent positions, the source said.

The two-hour clashes resulted in the killing of four people and wounding 20 others along with detaining five suspects, the source added.

"Special Iraqi Army forces, supported by Coalition advisors, conducted a raid authorized by the Government of Iraq on Oct. 25 in Sadr City," the U.S. military said in a statement.

The goal of the attack was "to capture a top illegal armed group commander directing widespread death-squad activity throughout eastern Baghdad," the statement said.

"During the raid, Iraqi Army forces came under fire and had to defend themselves. They requested support from Coalition aircraft which used precision gunfire only to eliminate the enemy threat," the statement added.

The attacks came as part of the U.S. and Iraqi government to curb death-squads activities and sectarian strife, which killed thousands of Iraqis.

Source: Xinhua