By Michael Georgy
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. helicopter gunships opened fire as tanks rumbled through Baghdad's sprawling Shuala district Monday, but teenage militiamen with guns and knives were firmly in control when the clashes ended.
Young boys jumped up and down on a U.S. military truck that had been attacked and set ablaze in a symbolic victory for radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose militiamen are challenging U.S. forces in several cities across Iraq.
Sadr's Mehdi Army has said for months it is ready for holy war against the Americans if the order comes, and the militia displayed its zeal and organizational skills Monday in Shuala, a teeming Shi'ite area.
Officials in Sadr's local headquarters said U.S. troops backed by helicopters mounted an incursion into Shuala in the morning, firing tank-mounted machineguns from a distance.
"People came out from their homes when they saw what was happening. U.S. troops fled when a (tank) transporter in the convoy was seized and set on fire," said Sheikh Ali, carrying a pistol and wearing a "Fine Surfing Gear" sweatshirt.
"Look what they have done," he added, pointing to bullet holes in the walls of the Sadr group's office.
There was no firm word on casualties in the strike, thought to be the first of its kind inside Baghdad since the war that toppled Saddam Hussein nearly a year ago, but an anti-U.S. cleric said five people were killed and 10 wounded.
By the early afternoon, the militiamen ruled the streets, with only a few bursts of gunfire in the distance.
MILITIA WEIGHS NEXT MOVE
Inside the Sadr group headquarters, guarded by fighters behind sandbags, senior clerics from the district were consulting with the fiery cleric by telephone.
"He has handed down an order saying that we should try to calm things down but defend ourselves if we are attacked," said one man, who declined to give his name.
"When the order comes for a holy war, there will not be one American left in the street."
Outside, young teenagers with Kalashnikov rifles, long knives and clubs closed off the main road leading to where U.S. troops waited in Humvees and tanks on the edge of the district.
Older militiamen and civilians sympathetic to Sadr formed neat rows along the street, awaiting U.S. military vehicles.
Every time they showed up, the men dressed mostly in black sat in the road to block the approaching Humvees. They held up posters of their leader, yelling "Long live Moqtada."
The chain of command seems clear. Only top clerics are allowed to speak about the U.S.-led occupation or the protests and clashes that erupted in several Iraqi cities Sunday.
In a well-rehearsed line, militiamen insist they would only resort to violence to defend themselves or the Iraqi people.
In the end, a cleric walked over to the U.S. troops to negotiate. Sadr's people said the Americans had agreed to only one of a long list of demands -- that they leave Shuala.
"You see, the Americans sent someone to call for negotiations. It is a sign of weakness," said Sheikh Ali.