American forces battled Shiite fighters in Baghdad on Friday, killing 13 people. US attack helicopters fired on Shiite militants in Baghdad's northwestern Shuala neighbourhood in the pre-dawn firefight, killing 13 people, including two women, a medic and security officials told AFP.
Doctor Mohammed Abbas from the Al-Noor Hospital in Shuala said the facility had received 13 corpses of those slain. "Those dead were killed by shrapnel and two of them are women," he said, suggesting that some of the dead could be civilians. "We have also admitted 15 wounded people."
The US military said eight militants were killed after one of its patrols came under attack.
An Iraqi security official said US troops clashed with militiamen between 3:00 am (2300 GMT Thursday) and 5:00 am (0100 GMT) Friday.
Iraqi forces were meanwhile stepping up security in the central holy city of Karbala ahead of the expected arrival of hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims to mark the anniversary on Tuesday of the birth of Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi, Shiite Islam's 12th imam and one of the most revered. Police Brigadier General Raed Shawkat of Karbala province said checkpoints were being installed across the Shiite region which has the restive Sunni province of Anbar to the west.
The US military announced one more American soldier had died and four were hurt in a blast in the northern Iraqi province of Salaheddin on Friday.
