Militia Seizes Southern Iraqi City
A member of the Al-Mahdi Army stands guard at a rally of supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr in Baghdad this August (epa)
Some 15 people, including civilians, were killed in clashes with Iraqi security forces.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki dispatched an emergency delegation to the area that included the minister of state for security affairs.
Britain returned the city to Iraqi military control in August.
(compiled from agency reports)