Al Sadr militia seizes parts of southern Iraq town

Kut, Iraq: Followers of Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr seized control of five districts in the southern Iraqi town of Kut on Tuesday, police sources said.

The violence was part of an escalation in the confrontation between the Shiite-run government and Al Sadr's Mehdi Army militia - a move that threatens the security gains achieved by the US and Iraqi forces.

At least 22 people were killed in the Basra fighting.

The sources said Al Sadr's followers were in control of the Jihad, Shuhada, Zahara, Sharqiya and Hawi districts of the city, which has 18 districts in total.

A witness said he could hear shooting and explosions. US warplanes were circling overhead.

Iraq's army have repeatedly clashed with Al Sadr's followers in Kut over the past two weeks.

In Samawa, capital of southern Muthanna province, police imposed a curfew after Mehdi Army fighters appeared on the streets. Curfews were also imposed in Hilla and Kut, police said.

Sadr imposed a ceasefire on the Mehdi Army last August, a move the US military said contributed greatly to falling levels of violence in Iraq.

But recently the truce has been fraying, with Mehdi Army fighters complaining that Iraqi and US security forces are exploiting it to target them.

Al Sadr called for nationwide sit-ins on Tuesday in protest against what he said he were attacks on his followers and threatened a "civil revolt" if the crackdown did not stop.