CNN REPORTS: TRUCE ENDS IN SADR CITY. 11 KILLED

5 Iraqi soldiers die in Mosul roadside bombing

Story Highlights
NEW: Iraqi soldiers killed in Mosul during offensive against al Qaeda in Iraq
In Sadr City, at least 11 people die and 20 wounded Monday in fighting
Deaths occur after rival political blocs agreed to four-day cease-fire

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/13/iraq.ceasefire/index.html

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A roadside bomb in northern Iraq killed at least five Iraqi soldiers on Tuesday, an Interior Ministry official said.

Iraqi soldiers launched an offensive in Mosul against Sunni insurgents loyal to al Qaeda in Iraq.

The bombing occurred in the Nineveh provincial capital of Mosul, one of the last urban Sunni militia strongholds, during an Iraqi-led operation against al Qaeda in Iraq.
Since launching the offensive on Saturday, Iraqi forces backed by U.S. troops have captured nearly 200 suspects, according to Iraq's Defense Ministry said.

Though most military operations in Iraq have focused on conflicts in Shiite regions, the offensive reflects attempts to root out insurgents in and around Mosul, particularly those loyal to al Qaeda in Iraq.

Elsewhere in the country, Iraqi forces continued to battle Shiite militants despite a temporary cease-fire agreement that was announced at the weekend.

At least 11 people were killed and 20 were wounded in overnight fighting in Sadr City, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said Tuesday.

In three encounters late Sunday and early Monday, U.S. troops came under fire and shot back, killing three people, the U.S. military said.

The fighting occurred shortly after rival political blocs, including radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army militia, agreed to a four-day cease-fire in Baghdad's Sadr City.