al-Mahdi army members killed in Iraq

Some 19 persons were killed including 17 of al-Mahdi army, followers of the Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sader, and two policemen, in clashes with gunmen in al-Khazaaleyah area west of Baghdad.

A source at the Iraqi ministry of interior said that the clashes erupted following an attempt made by al-Mahdi army to rescue a kidnapped member from unidentified gunmen in al-Nahrawan area before seeking the help of the police.

One Iraqi civilians was killed and other 8 injured in a booby trapped car explosions when an American vehicle was running near the national theatre in al-Karradah area in the center of Baghdad.

Meanwhile, the American army announced the killing of two of its soldiers in a bomb explosions east of Baghdad on Wednesday.