Fort Lewis troops face Shiite militants

A Fort Lewis brigade in Iraq has been battling Shiite militias in Husseiniyah, where a bomb blast last week claimed the life of a soldier and triggered a tense standoff as U.S. troops set up a blockade around this city on Baghdad's northern outskirts.

While U.S. military commanders — and President Bush — have in recent weeks spotlighted the threat of Sunni extremists linked to al-Qaida, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division officials say they have been waging a separate campaign against the Shiite militias who have laid ambushes from behind dirt walls.

"Overall, I think al-Qaida is the major problem, but I have Shiite extremists that cause me problems and kill my soldiers," said Col. Jon Lehr, brigade commander, in a telephone interview Wednesday with The Seattle Times.

Lehr said the Shiite extremists' attacks have included the use of explosively formed projectiles, known as EFPs. U.S. military officials allege those explosives have come from Iran.

The brigade set up a blockade to restrict traffic in and out of the city. Over the weekend, the Army also launched a helicopter attack that killed at least six Iraqis in Husseiniyah.

U.S. officials said the dead were insurgents.

Iraqi residents say the dead came from two Shiite Muslim families who lived in an area controlled by the powerful Mahdi Army militia, according to McClatchy Newspapers. The bodies pulled from the rubble were parents killed with their children in the middle of the night, those residents said.

On Tuesday, with the aid of Iraqi officials, the brigade brokered an agreement with the citizens of Husseiniyah. The brigade agreed to end the blockade and allow Iraqi humanitarian aid to reach the city. In return, local leaders agreed to raze the dirt walls inside the city and try to halt attacks on U.S. soldiers.

"I am cautiously optimistic," Lehr said. "But we will not let our guard down."

Hal Bernton: 206-464-2581 or hbernton@seattletimes.com