At least four people have been killed by a US air strike aiming to support Iraqi forces fighting Shia militants in Hilla, the US military has said.
A US spokesman denied reports quoting Iraqi security sources in the town which give far higher casualty estimates, ranging from 11 to 60 dead.
He said the raid had targeted "special group criminals", a US term referring to breakaway cells of the Mehdi Army.
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More than 70 people have been killed and hundreds injured in the past two days in the southern city and Baghdad during an ongoing government offensive.
On Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki gave Shia militants in Basra 72 hours to lay down their arms or face "severe penalties".
The radical Shia cleric, Moqtada Sadr, who heads the main militia, the Mehdi Army, has said Mr Maliki must leave Basra and start negotiations to end the violence.
(BBC)
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