Iraqi Pm Condemns Us Raid on Shia Stronghold

The Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, today denounced a US raid against a Shia militia position and denied that his government had agreed to a timetable to crack down on violence.

Mr al-Maliki said he had not been consulted about the operation to snatch a militia commander from inside Sadr City and insisted, "It will not be repeated". He also hit out at an announcement yesterday by the most senior US general in Iraq, General George Casey, and the US ambassador Zalmay Khalizad, Stating that the Iraqi government had agreed to a timetable to curb violence in the country.

"I affirm that this government represents the will of the people and no one has the right to impose a timetable on it," he told a news conference.

Local officials said at least four people were killed and 18 injured in the overnight fighting in Sadr City, the overwhelmingly Shia eastern district loyal to the anti-American cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr.

The US military said Iraqi army special forces, backed by US advisers, carried out a raid to capture a "top illegal armed group commander, directing widespread death squad activity throughout eastern Baghdad".

The US specifically said the raid had been organised by the Iraqi government. It was not clear whether the commander had been apprehended.

Tank cannons boomed out over the city five times in rapid succession this afternoon, and US F-16 jet fighters screamed low overhead as the conflict in Sadr City continued.

Mr al-Maliki, who is commander in chief of Iraq's army, heatedly denied he knew anything about the raid.

"We will ask for clarification about what has happened in Sadr City. We will review this issue with the multinational forces so that it will not be repeated. ...The Iraqi government should be aware and part of any military operation. Coordination is needed between Iraqi government and multinational forces."

As the raid began, Iraqi forces were fired on and asked for American airpower backup, the Associated Press reported. The US said in a statement that it used "precision gunfire only to eliminate the enemy threat". Reining in the Mahdi army and militia is one of the thorniest problems facing Mr al-Maliki because his fragile Shia-dominated government derives much of its power from parties with strong links to Shia militias.

Residents living near Sadr City said gunfire and air strikes began around 11.00pm last night (2100 BST) and continued for hours. The district on Baghdad's eastern edge was sealed to outsiders on Wednesday morning.

Groups of young men in black fatigues, favoured by the Mahdi army, were seen driving towards the area to join the fight. Explosions and automatic weapons fire were heard above the noise of US helicopters which circled overhead, firing flares.

Streets were empty and shops closed, although it was still receiving electricity from the national power grid, despite routine cuts to other parts of the city.

Mr al-Maliki has repeatedly pledged to deal with the militias but has resisted issuing firm ultimatums or deadlines.

The timeline plan outlined yesterday by Mr Khalilzad was believed to have grown out of recent Washington meetings at which the Bush administration sought to reshape its Iraq policy amid mounting US deaths and declining domestic support for the 44-month-old war.

The plan was made public a day after White House press secretary Tony Snow said the US was adjusting its Iraq strategy but would not issue any ultimatums.

Mr Khalilzad said Mr al-Maliki had agreed to the timeline concept that called for specific deadlines to be set by the year's end.

October has been the deadliest month this year for American forces in the region. Since the start of the war 2,801 US service members have died in Iraq, according to an Associated Press count.