U.S., Iraqi forces enter Sadr City

BAGHDAD, Iraq — More than 1,100 U.S. and Iraqi troops pushed into the Shiite militia haven of Sadr City on Sunday, the largest operation in nearly three years in the sprawling, turbulent slum. Control of the area is viewed as pivotal to stabilizing the capital and preventing Iraq's slide toward civil war.

Riding in Humvees and armored personnel carriers, the troops erected checkpoints and conducted door-to-door searches for illegal weapons and militia fighters. They met no resistance, according to U.S. military, Iraqi officials and residents. No weapons caches were found and no suspects were detained, the military said.

The operation represented the most serious effort yet by the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to neutralize the Mahdi Army, which is headed by firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and is the country's largest and most violent Shiite militia.

For months, al-Maliki has faced intense U.S. pressure to send troops into Sadr City and assert the government's authority. But he has long avoided doing so because al-Sadr, who controls six ministries and 30 seats in parliament, is his political benefactor.

Sunday's push occurred only after al-Sadr had agreed to support al-Maliki's new Baghdad security plan, Iraqi officials said, and after negotiations with civil leaders and al-Sadr's representatives on the role of U.S. troops in Sadr City.

The operation lasted several hours and primarily targeted an area near a busy market, according to residents interviewed in Sadr City. By afternoon, there were no signs of U.S. or Iraqi soldiers in the densely crowded streets lined with posters of al-Sadr and banners lauding the Mahdi Army.

U.S. military officials said they would continue the security sweeps to facilitate a plan to house U.S. and Iraqi troops in a police station on the edge of Sadr City, where as many as 2 million people live. The new military post, similar to those being constructed in other neighborhoods, is a key component of al-Maliki's security plan to build public trust in Iraq's security forces and ensure that areas are not retaken by insurgents or militias.

"It is a multi-day operation, continuing operation," said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a U.S. military spokesman. "We do not go and do this just to leave."

In Sadr City, black-clad militiamen have vanished from the streets. Senior al-Sadr officials and Mahdi Army leaders have fled to Shiite cities in southern Iraq or to neighboring Iran. Some fighters said in interviews that they wanted to engage the U.S. troops but were under strict orders from al-Sadr to maintain a low profile.

"We feel upset, but what can we do?" said Laith Abu Bakr, 34, a Mahdi Army fighter. "We have orders not to act."

Al-Sadr's motive for allowing the security operation in his stronghold was unclear. Some Shiite politicians have suggested he wants to boost his political credentials and improve his image, but others say he hopes to rid his fold of rogue elements and rivals.

Publicly, however, he has started to criticize the U.S. involvement in what he said should be an Iraqi operation.