Latest Bloodshed

36 killed in clashes south of Baghdad

(AP)
Updated: 2007-06-18 14:10

BAGHDAD - As many as 36 people were killed in a fierce battle early Monday between Shiite militiamen and British forces doing house-to-house searches south of Baghdad, Iraqi police and hospital officials said.

US sailors run to an SH-60F Seahawk helicopter on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the Indian Ocean.US sailors run to an SH-60F Seahawk helicopter on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the Indian Ocean. [Agencies]

The clashes took place in Amarah, 200 miles southeast of Baghdad, the officials said.

A doctor at the city's general hospital said 36 bodies had been taken to his facility, though he could not determine how many were militiamen and how many were civilians. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to media.

The British military could not immediately comment on the reports.