US forces launch airstrikes in Iraq

Iraqis inspect vehicles destroyed in an airstrike in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, March 28, 2008. Iraqi police and hospital officials in Sadr City said five civilians were killed and four others wounded in the attack. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

BAGHDAD (AP) -- U.S. forces stepped deeper Friday into the Iraqi government's fight to cripple Shiite militias, launching airstrikes in the southern city of Basra and firing a missile into the main Shiite stronghold in Baghdad.

The American support occurred as Iraqi troops struggled against strong resistance in Basra and retaliation elsewhere in Shiite areas - including more salvos of rockets or mortars into the U.S.-protected Green Zone in Baghdad.

It was the first time American jets have been called to attack militia positions since Iraqi ground forces launched an operation Tuesday to clear Basra of the armed groups that have effectively ruled the streets of the country's second-largest city for nearly three years. full story