U.S. jets widened the bombing of Basra on Saturday

BAGHDAD - U.S. jets widened the bombing of Basra on Saturday, dropping two precision-guided bombs on a suspected militia stronghold north of the city, British officials said.
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Maj. Tom Holloway, a British military spokesman, said U.S. jets dropped the two bombs on a militia position in Qarmat Ali shortly before 12:30 p.m.

Basra is Iraq's commercial and oil hub, and militant followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have been battling Iraqi and coalition forces in the southern city since Tuesday.

"My understanding was that this was a building that had people who were shooting back at Iraqi ground forces," Holloway said.

The number of people killed in the latest strikes was not yet known, he said.

British jets also have been providing air support in the area. The British military had no immediate information but said it also was looking into the reports of civilian casualties.

American forces launched their first airstrikes in Basra Friday as Iraqi troops struggled against strong resistance in the nation's commercial center and headquarters of the vital oil industry. Clashes there have sparked retaliatory fights in Baghdad and other Shiite cities.

The fight for Basra is crucial for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who flew to Basra earlier this week and is staking his credibility on gaining control of Iraq's second largest city, which has essentially been held by armed groups for nearly three years.

Al-Maliki, speaking on government television Saturday, told tribal leaders in the southern city that he "will not leave Basra until security is restored" and those who have taken up arms against the government will be punished.

"We will continue to stand up to these gangs in every inch of Iraq," he said. "This is a decisive and final battle."