32 Killed In Raids on Sadr City and the Security Surge in Al-Kathimia
32 people were killed in raids executed by American planes upon Sadr City, coming amidst the the Iraqi authorities' intensification of security measures and curfews in Bagdad, blamed upon riots which broke out amongst Shia groups in the Kathimia neighborhood in NE Bagdad to commemorate the anniversary of the death of the Imam Mousa al-Kathim. The American Army said that the raids targeted "those embroiled" in transporting bombs which are planted on the streets from Iran, whereas security sources confirmed that civilians were amongst those killed.
In a statement, an American military spokesperson refuted the downfall of civilians in the strikes which were conducted by military aircraft ("war planes" is the literal translation here) among which were helicopters in the neighborhood of Sadr City which mostly houses Shia and is located in the NE part of Bagdad.
Security Measures
The American raids upon Sadr City came hours before the beginning of the enforcement of a ban on driving in Bagdad before a large celebration for the Shia which have witnessed about two years of killing, more than 1000 people in many bloody incidents in Iraq since the invasion engineered by the United States four years before.
The Shia celebrate these days as a commemoration of the death of the Imam Mousa al-Kathim one of the highest Shia Imams, the 12th. (He's not the 12th Imam in the Shia tradition, he's the 7th. I'm not sure why they phrased it the way they did, except as a high honorific. Maybe the 12th of this month (in Kufar calendar dates, of course) is the actual anniversary.)
On another front, the USArmy said that its soldiers and the Iraqi forces killed two armed persons at the beginning of the raids in Sadr City. The Army said that it would call for air support when it observed a large group of armed persons or a vehicle charging/attacking the ground forces.
And in the past, an American military spokesperson said that more than 70% of attacks which the American forces were subject to in Bagdad in July "were conducted by Shia militias, some of which were trained in Iran."
The latest raids on Sadr City came days after a the convening of a council consisting of Iran, the US and Iraq with the goal of improving the security situation.
(Wow, I'm rusty. Guess it's good that I'm in training before my annual recert.)