Amara, home to 250,000 people, is a stronghold of the Mehdi Army militia of anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Witnesses saw police raiding houses of suspected militants, backed by U.S. troops in armored vehicles blocking roads.






Admiral Almalikis Alsadr Amara Antiamerican Appeared Appointment Armored Army Available Baghdad Basra Blamed Blocking Bomb Campaigns Cleric Control Cooperating Crackdown Deborah Desire Driscoll English Fighters Fragile Gains Grip Gunshot Heard Heavy Iraqi Launched Lutterbeck Maliki Medium Mehdi Militants Military Militias Minister Minister Nuri Moqtada Mortars Mosul Nuri Ordered Patrick Pentagon Previously Prime Raiding Rear Residents Resist Resistance Restore Reuters Roads Rockets Sadr Sadr City Saw Sent Shiite Sign Single Soundbite Southern Stronghold Such Suspected Tightening Troops Truck Underscore Urged Vehicles Weapons Witnesses







