The U.S. troops killed four suspected militiamen with alleged ties to Iran and detained eight others during a raid on the stronghold of the Mahdi Army militia in Baghdad's eastern slum of Sadr City on Tuesday, the U.S. military said.
The raid targeted a leader of the Mahdi Army militia and his operatives, who were accused of smuggling weapons from Iran and attacking U.S. troops and Iraqi citizens in Baghdad area, a military statement said.
"Coalition Forces searched three buildings during the operation. Ground troops confiscated miscellaneous documents, photographs and identification cards," it said.
During the raid, the troops were attacked by two roadside bombs and small arms fire from multiple locations, promoting the soldiers to fire back after a helicopter fired warning shots, killing four armed men, it added.
On Monday, the military said its troops started a major military operation, dubbed "Operation Phantom Strike," consists of simultaneous operations across Iraq focusing on Sunni militants linked to al-Qaida in Iraq network and Iranian-backed Shiite militiamen.
The U.S. forces frequently accuse Iran of arming and training Iraqi militia to fight with U.S. troops, but Iranian officials have denied such allegations.
Source: Xinhua
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