By Xinhua
Baghdad : U.S. and Iraqi troops backed by aircraft killed nine insurgents and detained eight others during an operation in a Shiite bastion in eastern Baghdad, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.
The operation targeted a network of insurgents involved in “murder, kidnapping, IED (Improvised Explosive Device) and mortar attacks and weapons smuggling” in the Sadr City neighborhood, a military statement said.
It resulted in the killing of nine insurgents and the capturing of eight others, said the statement, adding “precise fire support from aircraft destroyed a dump truck being used by the terrorists.”
A military spokesman said that his troops respect the pledge made by the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, in which he called on his followers to freeze their activities, but the troops will take actions necessary against those who do not honor Sadr’s pledge.
On Sept. 1, the U.S. military welcomed the late August Sadr’s declaration, saying that the suspension of Mahdi Army militia activities would help the U.S. forces focus on fighting al-Qaida network in Iraq.