Baghdad: Iraqi forces have taken control of the last militia stronghold of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in the southern city of Basra, the US military said in a statement today.
It said Iraqi troops began the last stage of Operation Saulat al-Farsan (Charge of the Knights) yesterday in Basra's northern neighbourhood of Al-Huteen, a bastion of Sadr's Mahdi Army militia.
The operation included clearing and searching homes in the area, it said. "Al-Huteen, part of the Five Mile Market neighbourhood of Basra, had been considered a stronghold for criminal elements of the Jaysh al-Mahdi (Mahdi Army) militia," the statement said.
"But, when the soldiers... Moved into the city, the local citizens actively welcomed and cooperated with them."
The statement quoting US military Captain Daniel Lammers said the earlier successful operations by the Iraqi army in the Al-Qibla and Al-Hayaniyah neighbourhoods showed "the people that the army is here to help them by getting rid of criminals and outlaws."
The Al-Huteen operation uncovered several weapons caches, including mortar rounds, rocket-propelled grenades and launchers and improvised explosive devices, and several "suspected criminals," the military said.
On March 25, Iraqi forces launched an assault in Basra, which initially faced fierce resistance from Shiite militiamen, mostly from Sadr's Mahdi Am.
At least 391 people have been killed since March 25 in the violence in Sadr City where clashes are still continuing.
In the first few days of the operation at least 700 people were killed in the port city, according to the United Nations.
