BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq's prime minis...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq's prime minister sharply criticized a US- Iraqi attack Monday upon a Shiite militia stronghold in Baghdad, breaking with his American partners forward security tactics as the United States launches a major operation to fast the capital.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's criticism followed a pre-dawn air and estate attack on an area of Sadr City, muniment of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army militia.

Police said three the public including a woman and a child, were killed in the raid, which the U command said was aimed at "individuals involved in punishment and torture enclosed space activities."

single U.S. soldier was wounded, the U said.

Al-Maliki, a Shiite, said he was "very angered and pained" at the operation, warning that it could undermine his efforts toward national reconciliation.

"Reconciliation cannot make progress hand in hand with operations that violate the rights of citizens this way," al-Maliki said in a statement forward government television. "This operation used weapons that are unreasonable to detain someone -- like using planes."

He apologized to the Iraqi population for the operation and said "this won't happen again."

U TRYING TO fixed STREETS

Friction between the U military and the Iraqi management emerged as the U.S. military kicks on the farther side a military operation to sure Baghdad streets after a billow in Sunni-Shiite violence -- long of it blamed on al-Sadr's militia.

RADICAL BACKS LEADER

Al-Sadr has emerg as a major figure in the majority Shiite community and a pillar of support for al-Maliki. The prime minister's remarks underscore the difficulties facing the Americans in bringing order to Baghdad at a time when Iraqis are increasingly irritable of the presence of foreign partys

U officials are equally frustrated at the slow pace of reconciliation and what they be wrought up is the reluctance of politicians to reach consensus among Iraq's religious and ethnic disposes

After the Sadr City attack, President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd met with the top U commander in Iraq, Gen George W Casey Jr to discuss security operations in Baghdad. Talabani said he told Casey "it is in no one's interest to have a confrontation" with al-Sadr's manner of moving

Meanwhile, more than 30 persons were killed or found dead Monday, including 10 commandos slain when a suicide driver hit the regional headquarters of the Shiite-led Interior Ministry police in a mainly Sunni city north of Baghdad.

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

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