Nation & World

<< Previous   of   Next >> Associated Press  (click to enlarge) A U.S. Army soldier from the 3rd Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division takes up a position in front of a patrol base in Sadr City area of Baghdad on Monday,   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Do you have a news tip? newstips@heraldnet.com | 425.339.3400   Published: Tuesday, May 13, 2008 Cease-fire for Baghdad's Sadr City Los Angeles Times BAGHDAD -- Iraq's main Shiite Muslim factions signed a cease-fire deal Monday clearing the way for Iraqi soldiers to operate throughout Sadr City, a vast Baghdad slum that is largely under the control of militiamen loyal to firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Negotiators said they hoped the four-day truce would mark the close of more than seven weeks of fighting in the district, which has claimed hundreds of lives. But it remained to be seen whether all the groups that have taken up arms in Sadr City would adhere to the accord. The U.S. military said its troops in the southeastern portion of the district had come under attack at least three times since the deal began to take effect on Sunday, and had killed three gunmen. Iraqi soldiers had also traded sporadic fire with neighborhood fighters, residents said. The district's two main hospitals had received four bodies and treated 24 wounded since late Sunday, officials said. Some militiamen said they were waiting for orders from al-Sadr himself before setting aside their weapons. But al-Sadr's chief negotiator said Monday the cleric had issued written instructions authorizing his representatives to sign the deal and urging his followers to uphold it. The fighting erupted in late March, when Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government began a crackdown in the southern oil hub of Basra aimed primarily at al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia. The crackdown sparked a fierce uprising in Sadr City and other Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad that has dragged on for weeks. In April, U.S. forces moved into the southern third of Sadr City, from which shells were being aimed at their bases and the Green Zone, the fortified enclave across the Tigris river that houses the U.S. Embassy and many government offices. Under the deal signed Monday, all sides will suspend military activity for four days beginning this past Sunday, after which Iraqi forces will have free rein to search Sadr City for weapons and fighters, provided they have a warrant. Al-Sadr's representatives have also underlined that they will not accept the participation of U.S.-led forces in any searches. In return, the governing parties have pledged to open up more roads into the district, increase humanitarian assistance, compensate residents for their losses, and help the thousands displaced to return home. U.S. military death The latest identification provided by the U.S. military of personnel killed in Iraq: Army Spc. Joseph A. Ford, 23, Knox, Ind., died Saturday in Al Asad of injuries suffered in a vehicle accident; assigned to the 1st Squadron, 152nd Cavalry Regiment, 76th Brigade Combat Team, Indiana National Guard, New Albany, Ind.

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