US forces have killed 21 Iraqis and wounded at least 10 in operations in Baghdad in the past 24 hours.
Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, deputy director of operations for the US military in Iraq, said most were killed during operations in the Sadr City neighbourhood of northeast Baghdad, where radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr draws support.
"In the Thawra district [Sadr City], coalition forces continue to conduct offensive operations to restore stability resulting in 14 enemy killed and 10 wounded," Brig Gen Kimmitt said.
He said there had been a "minor uprising" in several areas, including the southern cities of Nassiriya and Amara, where Shi'ite Muslim militants loyal to al-Sadr are concentrated, and in Sadr City itself, but said militants had been quelled.
In a separate incident, a US patrol in western Baghdad came under fire today from insurgents using rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. US troops returned fire, killing seven people.
In the holy Shi'ite city of Kerbala, four Iraqi fighters were killed in fighting between US troops and militiamen loyal to al-Sadr, who has been leading an uprising against US forces for the past month.