An additional 27 Mahdi Army fighters and a senior Special Groups leader were killed during a series of engagements in the afternoon and throughout the night in Sadr City. The US troops were attacked with rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire as they were building a concrete security barrier in Sadr City to prevent rocket attacks on the Green Zone. US soldiers responded and killed three Mahdi fighters. Ten minutes later, US troops killed seven Mahdi Army fighters as they attacked the soldiers with mortars and machine guns. No US casualties occurred in either incident.
US troops killed another 17 Mahdi Army fighters in a series of engagements throughout the day as they transported weapons, set up rockets for launching, planted roadside bombs, and attacked US troops in Sadr City.
Coalition Special Forces also conducted a daylight strike today inside Sadr City to target a known Iranian-sponsored senior Special Groups leader. The leader was killed.
463 Mahdi Army fighters have been killed in recent fighting.
The unprecedented buildup of forces indicates the Iraqi government and the US military are serious about advancing into Sadr City beyond the southern third of the district being hemmed in by the security barriers being erected.
Blog Smith is inspired by the myth of Hephaestus in the creation of blacksmith-like, forged materials: ideas. This blog analyzes topics that interest me: IT, politics, technology, history, education, music, and the history of religions.