Dozens of Iraqi police detained in operation

Iraqi soldiers detained dozens of policemen and closed down a hospital suspected of treating Shi'ite militiamen in a Baghdad stronghold of cleric Moqtada al -Sadr's Mehdi Army, Iraqi security officials said today.

Iraqi and US security forces have been battling Mehdi Army fighters in Baghdad since late March. The upsurge in violence has underscored the fragility of Iraq's security at a time when US troops in the capital are reducing their numbers.

The US military announced that the third of five combat brigades sent to Iraq last year to help curb sectarian violence had begun withdrawing. The brigades have been credited by Washington with helping to reduce violence by 60 % since last June.

The military said it expected to complete the withdrawal of about 3,500 troops within the next several weeks under a wider plan to draw down 20,000 troops by July.

The announcement will likely fuel debate about the ability of Iraq's military to step into the breach. Iraqi soldiers have performed with mixed results in the street battles with Sadr's Mehdi Army and relied heavily on US airpower.

Most of the fighting has been concentrated in Sadr City, a sprawling, densely packed slum of about 2 million people where Sadr has a strong following, but Iraqi army units on Monday raided Shula district in northern Baghdad.

The soldiers detained 42 policemen suspected of collaborating with "outlaws", an official in the office of Baghdad security spokesman Major-General Qassim Moussawi said.

Iraq's police are widely seen as being infiltrated by Shi'ite militiamen, who use the cover of their uniforms to carry out criminal or sectarian attacks.

The soldiers also raided the Mohammed-Bakr Hakim hospital, arresting 35 workers, including orderlies and cleaners, and forced its closure, said hospital head Dr. Yassin al-Rikabi. - Reuters