Shi'ite gunmen in Baghdad slum ignore truce

By Waleed Ibrahim and Wisam Mohammed

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An agreement aimed at ending fighting in the Baghdad bastion of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr appeared on the verge of collapse on Tuesday after gunmen attacked U.S. troops.

The deal between the ruling Shi'ite alliance and Sadr's opposition movement in parliament to end fighting in the Sadr City slum district was formally signed on Monday.

But with the ink barely dry on the 16-point pact, clashes flared overnight and through Tuesday, raising questions over how much control the anti-American cleric has over some of the Mehdi Army militiamen who profess allegiance to him.

"It is clear that Sadr does not control all of the armed groups that make up the Mehdi Army," Kadhum al-Muqdadi, a professor at Baghdad University, told Reuters. "This fighting could last a long time."

A Mehdi Army statement read out in mosques in Sadr City late on Monday said the deal must be respected.

Nevertheless, the U.S. military said violence broke out between its troops and militants in Sadr City overnight, where seven weeks of clashes have already killed hundreds of people.

A Reuters witness said there had also been intense gun battles between Iraqi security forces and militiamen on Tuesday in Shula, a Sadr stronghold in northwestern Baghdad. Reuters TV footage showed five children running for cover as automatic gun fire echoed from between Sadr City's huddled brick houses.

Iraqi police said at least 11 people had been killed and 20 wounded in clashes in Sadr City since Monday night.

They did not give precise details but the U.S. military said it had killed at least three militiamen planting roadside bombs. U.S. troops were attacked numerous times with small arms fire.

The deal to end the fighting was announced on Saturday and welcomed by Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. His crackdown in late March on militias sparked fierce resistance from Shi'ite gunmen, especially the Mehdi Army.

One Mehdi Army commander called Abu Ammar said his men would not recognise the truce unless U.S. and Iraqi forces ended what he called attacks on militiamen.

"If this truce is just a game, our guns are ready," he said.

Lieutenant-Colonel Steven Stover, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Baghdad, said troops were only targeting militants launching attacks or planting bombs.

"We're not looking for a fight," Stover said. "They (the militants) are obviously not listening to any agreement."

SADR AIDE URGES PATIENCE