Mystery Hangs Over Baghdad Battle

Iraqis in the Baghdad neighborhood of Suleikh sift through a cafe destroyed in a bombing unrelated to fighting in the Adhamiyah area. Police said at least seven people were killed and more than 20 wounded in the cafe bombing. (By Khalid Mohammed -- Associated Press)

"Frankly, if somebody attacks coalition forces, or Iraqi army forces, it doesn't matter who they are," said Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, another U.S. military spokesman.

The fighting died down Monday afternoon, one resident said, and the people of the community slipped out of their houses to stock up on food. Then they went back inside. On Tuesday morning, gunfire picked up again in the nearby Waziriya area. As the mosque's loudspeakers pleaded with everyone to "stop shooting today," the Iraqi army, backed by U.S. troops, immediately clamped down on the cordoned-off area and imposed a curfew.

Remarkably, it appeared that few people were killed in all the violence. U.S. and Iraqi forces reported no deaths on their side, and the U.S. military reported killing five gunmen.

After the curfew was lifted on Tuesday afternoon, residents gingerly came out onto the street once more. Meanwhile, a statement issued by al-Qaeda in Iraq, the country's most prominent insurgent organization, promised more fighting on Wednesday.

"Al-Qaeda in Iraq is announcing a new raid to avenge the Sunnis at Adhamiyah and the other areas, and the raid will start with the dawn of Wednesday, if God wishes," the statement said. "The Shiite areas will be an open battlefield for us. We will strike anything we face."

One Adhamiyah resident said he wanted to flee the coming storm.

"I could see cars and people in the street," he said. "Some went out shopping and others were carrying bags fleeing the neighborhood, fearing more clashes at night. I am trying to persuade my mother to leave the house and go to my uncle's house in Mansour, but she refused. My wife agreed, but my mother didn't like the idea of leaving the house.

"We don't know what to do. Life in this country has become unendurable. I am going to ask about immigration to any other country. Things will never calm down. Everything is going upside down."

Special correspondents Naseer Nouri, Saad al-Izzi and K.I. Ibrahim contributed to this report.