Sadr City Fight Kills 13; Insurgents Vow to Fight On

US and Iraqi forces clashed with Shiite insurgents in fierce fighting overnight near Baghdad’s Sadr City, Reuters reports, as authorities lifted a blockade in some areas that had been stifling the region. At least 13 militiamen loyal to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr were killed in the clashes in the Iraqi slum, but no American or Iraqi troops were seriously injured.

US jets patrolled the night skies, while insurgents prowled the streets carrying rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns. Residents described this latest skirmish as among the worst since last week, and many militiamen insist fighting isn’t over: “We will not allow the Americans to enter the city whatever happens,” some shouted over loudspeakers, even “if we lose our lives and sons.” (More Muqtada al-Sadr stories.)