U.S. soldier killed in Iraq in Mehdi Army clash - What no Al-Qaida?

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BUL643101.htm

BAGHDAD, June 26 (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier was killed in clashes with the Mehdi Army in Diwaniya on Tuesday when violence flared in the southern Iraqi city which was the scene of a major U.S. operation in April.

Two patrols were separately ambushed with roadside bombs and rocket propelled grenades, and helicopters were called in to provide support, the U.S. military said in a statement.

A witness said the fighting left four houses in flames and that three residents, including two women, were killed. A local hospital source said eight people were wounded.

The U.S. military said Mehdi militiamen, loyal to Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, ambushed the patrols from the cover of civilian buildings, including a school.