Gunmen clash with police

Baghdad: Iraqi police clashed with gunmen in central Baghdad yesterday when they went to investigate a report that 27 bodies had been found in one location near a cemetery, police and Interior Ministry sources said.

A Sunni Arab politician said militias had attacked residents in the area in a bid to force them out.

A person at Baghdad police headquarters said local police in the area near Haifa Street, a traditional Sunni area in central Baghdad, had found 27 bodies and called in reinforcements. When they arrived, they came under fire from gunmen.

He said they then called in support from US forces.

A Interior Ministry source also reported clashes. A statement from the General Gathering of the Iraqi People, a Sunni Arab party led by outspoken politician Adnan Al Dulaimi, appeared to refer to the incident and said militias backed by government forces had attacked residents on Haifa Street.

"This attack targeted the houses of locals in this area. The aim is to force these people to leave the area," it said, accusing the government of "double standards" in failing to crack down on Shiite militias blamed for operating death squads. Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki announced yesterday what appears to be a major crackdown on Shiite and Sunni militias in the capital.