The Iraq Army and U.S. combat forces conducted the operation against
Mahdi fighters in the Diwaniya province, about 180 kilometers south of
Baghdad. Officials said the fighting took place in several towns in the
province, and several people were killed.
The U.S.-led coalition said Operation Black Eagle was designed to impose
order in Diwaniya, Middle East Newsline reported. The statement said the Iraq Army deployed the Eighth
Battalion in the operation.
"Iraqi army soldiers swept into the city of Diwaniya early this morning
to disrupt militia activity and return security and stability of the
volatile city back to the government of Iraq," the U.S. military said on
April 6.
The Mahdi Army acknowledged the battle and said a U.S. main battle tank
and several Humvee combat vehicles were destroyed. Mahdi said three militia
fighters were injured.
Diwaniya has been regarded as a stronghold of the Mahdi Army. In August
2006, 13 Iraqi soldiers were captured and executed during a battle with
Mahdi.
Mahdi was said to have been detonating Iranian-produced
explosively-formed
projectiles against U.S. combat vehicles. On April 6, a U.S. soldier was
killed and four others were injured in an EFP attack in Baghdad.
On Saturday, U.S. fighter-jets joined the battle and attacked Mahdi
fighters in Diwaniya. Mahdi said three U.S. combat vehicles were destroyed,
and a robot to detect improvised explosive devices was seized. The Shi'ites
were said to have fired Soviet-origin Katyusha rockets toward the U.S.
troops.
"Fighting was less steady than yesterday's actions," U.S. military
spokesman Maj. Eric Verzola said on Saturday. "Our assessment is that our
operations are being effective."