By Xinhua
Baghdad : US and Iraqi forces backed by air support early Saturday raided a northern Baghdad neighbourhood where Shia militia are said to be active, killing at least 15 people and wounding 10, an Interior Ministry source said.
"The US and Iraqi troops conducted a pre-dawn raid on the neighbourhood of Al-Huseiniyah and traded fire with militiamen believed to be affiliated to Mahdi army militia loyal to radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The toll could rise higher, the source said adding that residents in the neighbourhood and rescue teams were clearing the debris to look for dead and injured.
The attack came as part of a five-month-long US and Iraqi security plan to control rampant violence.