U.S. and Iraqi forces raided the Shiite bastion of Sadr City in eastern Baghdad on Saturday morning, detaining three suspected members of murder and kidnapping cell, the U.S. military said.

The raid aimed at detaining the leader and members of the illegal armed group who had killed "innocent Iraqi citizens and security forces."

Gunmen opened fire on the force with small arms and rocket- propelled grenades while they were leaving the slum, the military said in a statement.

"Iraqi forces returned fire at clearly identified targets to neutralize the threat and continued their return to base," the statement said.

The U.S. troops cordoned off the Sadr City last week as a part of a massive U.S. effort to find a kidnapped U.S. soldier.

The troops lifted roadblocks around the Shiite slum on Tuesday when Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered them out. Outraged residents complained the siege of collective punishment.

Source: Xinhua