Sepcial Report: Tension accelerates in Iraq

    BAGHDAD, July 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. and Iraqi forces killed or wounded 30 to 40 Shiite militants in a gun battle in eastern Baghdad's Sadr City on Friday during which an Iraqi man believed to be a high-ranking insurgent leader was also arrested, the U.S. military said.

    During the detention of the insurgent leader, the Iraqi forces returned fire when they were attacked by small arms fire including gunfire and rocket propelled grenades from the roof of the building from which the insurgent leader was arrested, the U.S. military said.

    "An estimated 30-40 enemy fighters were killed or wounded in the 43-minute firefight," it added.

    But the military did not identify the leader, who was accused of heading "multiple insurgent cells in Baghdad whose main focus is to conduct attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces." The insurgent leader and his followers have kidnapped, tortured and murdered Iraqi citizens, the military added.

    Earlier, an Interior Ministry source said that seven people were killed and 31 others wounded in a fierce overnight gun battle between Shiite militants and U.S. and Iraqi forces in the Shiite-dominated Sadr City.

    The U.S. and Iraqi troops, backed by helicopters, raided houses in the sprawling slum district of Sadr City at 2:00 a.m. (2200 GMT Thursday) and clashed against the Mehdi Army of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, the source said.

    An official in Sadr's movement said that Adnan al-Oneibi, a Shiite imam living in Sadr City, was arrested.

    In February and March, the U.S. and Iraqi forces carried out raids against suspects involved in kidnapping rings living in Sadr City, which resulted in clashes with the local Shiite militia.

    Sunni leaders accuse the Mehdi Army of taking a lead in attacks on Sunni homes and mosques, mainly in Baghdad, after the bombing of the key Shiite Golden Mosque on Feb. 22, a charge repeatedly denied by Sadr. Enditem

Related photos:

A soldier holds bomb-making paraphernalia confiscated from suspected insurgents at a military camp in Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad July 6, 2006. About 38 suspected insurgents were arrested and their weapons confiscated after a raid in a village northeast of the Iraqi city of Baquba, military officials said.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

A soldier holds bomb-making paraphernalia confiscated from suspected insurgents at a military camp in Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad July 6, 2006. About 38 suspected insurgents were arrested and their weapons confiscated after a raid in a village northeast of the Iraqi city of Baquba, military officials said. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

A soldier escorts blindfolded suspected insurgents at a military camp in Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad July 6, 2006. About 38 suspected insurgents were arrested and their weapons confiscated after a raid in a village northeast of the Iraqi city of Baquba, military officials said. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)