BAGHDAD: United States and Iraqi forces raided Baghdad's flashpoint Sadr City district on Saturday and detained three suspected members of a murder and kidnap gang, triggering a gunbattle, the US military said.
The military said the raid was aimed at capturing a leader and member of the group that had killed "innocent Iraqi citizens and security forces."
As the raiding party was leaving the area with its captives, it came under fire from gunmen armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades.
"Iraqi forces returned fire at the targets to neutralise the threat and continued their return to base," the military said.
There were no casualties among the joint force, it added, but gave no details on whether any militants or civilians had been hurt.
Last week, US forces sealed off Sadr City to carry out a hunt for a kidnapped serviceman believed to be held captive in the Shiite district.
Days later, however, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered them to abandon the cordon they had set up around the sprawling district, a stronghold of the Mahdi Army militia loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
