By Suleiman al-Khalidi DAMASCUS, March 28 (Reuters) - The Iraqi government is resolved to win a "fight to the end" against the Shi'ite Mehdi Army militia in the south of the country, Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Friday. He told Reuters the authorities had no choice but to continue a four-day crackdown on the militias loyal to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in and around Basra, Iraq's second city. Government forces have so far failed to drive Sadrist fighters off the streets. "It was bound to happen. It was a long overdue confrontation in my view and the government has taken a decision to defeat them and it is irreversible," Zebari said. "Definitely this is a fight to the end. Otherwise there will be no government authority there," he added in an interview in Damascus ahead of a weekend Arab summit. Zebari said there could be no dialogue with the Sadrist militias while the fighting continued. They had grown in influence and became emboldened by local authorities in Basra, who "accommodated them and reached out to them," he added. "These militias, organised gangs, have tried to dominate the situation in Basra and tried to control some of the vital installations... They have been involved in smuggling oil and organised crime and infiltration of government installations and encouraging corruption on many levels, " Zebari said. He said the background to the fighting was complicated by rivalry between Shi'ite militias competing for power and influence in southern districts ahead of provincial elections next October. But there were no signs so far of any Iranian role in fuelling the conflict despite Iran's extensive influence in mainly Shi'ite southern Iraq, the minister added. "I am not in a position to say it is directly involved ... but Iran has an influence there in Basra, it has a consulate in Basra, but I think this is more internal conflict of interest between the different militias operating in Basra," he said. Zebari said it was difficult to predict how long the confrontation could last. The government has sent reinforcements to Basra and U.S. troops were drawn deeper on Friday when they launched air strikes in the city for the first time. "The Iraqi forces lack air power and they (the Americans) are bound to provide a supportive role for the Iraqi forces and we need that. It hope it will not be too long. It's a challenge we have to overcome. I cannot say for how long this will take," he added. Zebari said the troubles were not an "open insurrection", brushing aside fears of a deep rift within Iraq's Shi'ite community, the largest religious group in the country. "There is more support for the government than (for) the actions of these militias...The majority of the Shi'ites support the government," Zebari said. "This has scored a positive point for the government, which has been seen as sectarian and accommodating militias." Mehdi Army fighters have held territory or fought with authorities in Kut, Hilla, Amara, Kerbala, Diwaniya and other towns throughout the Shi'ite south over the past several days. (Editing by Jonathan Wright and Mark Trevelyan)
Plumes of smoke rise from Baghdad's Kadhmiya district March 27, 2008. Residents said clashes erupted between U.S. forces and the Mahdi Army. Iraq's U.S.-backed Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed on Thursday ...
