By Prensa Latina,
Baghdad : Intense fighting took place in the southern Iraqi city of Basora between troops of the government and members of Mahdi Army, loyal to Muslim Shiite cleric Moqtada al Sader.
According to the police, at dawn security force troops entered the neighborhood of Hayaniyat, considered a base of their rival.
The soldiers responded to the assault using automatic weapons, eyewitnesses assured.
Other testimonies highlighted that the Mahdi Army and governmental forces used medium and heavy armament, and they added that the soldiers had support of the US air force.
On Friday, the situation was tense in several areas of Basora, where Iraqi troops supported by British soldiers surrounded an Al Sader office, and ordered occupants to evacuate it in 48 hours.
According to the administration of the city, that building belongs to them, arguing it was taken by the followers of the cleric in combat three weeks ago, when the government tried to control regions under the influence of the army by force.
In that area the national army is supported by British troops, whose activities are barely reported by local media.
Another act that aggravated the situation in that large southern city was the blockade of access to a place by governmental forces to keep Al Sader troops the traditional celebration they hold on Fridays.
Police reported that confrontations this Saturday were the most intense in last weeks.