U.S., British Widen Role in Iraqi Government's Offensive in Basra

In the interview, Sadr called for a demonstration April 9 against the U.S. occupation of Iraq. He also rejected accusations that he was being supported by Iran, saying, "I am an independent in that I am not a political or military extension to Iran or any others."

In Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, Katyusha rockets fired at the Basra police headquarters in the center of the city killed four people, according to Iraq's Interior Ministry.

Witnesses in the city said Mahdi gunmen continued to clash with the Iraqi military, attacking police stations and setting roadside bombs.

Abu Rana, a doctor, said he saw Mahdi Army fighters planting roadside bombs on the main road that passes through the district where he lives. "They are holding remote controls and waiting for any Iraqi army convoy to pass by so they would detonate these bombs," he said.

Usama Jassim, 28, an oil company employee, said Iraqi soldiers stormed houses in his neighborhood searching for weapons and fighters.

Iraqi army and police forces reported gaining control in the southern province of Dhi Qar after intense gun battles with the Mahdi Army, police commanders reported. But gunmen still control areas in the northern and northeastern parts of the province.

The U.S. military reported that two American soldiers were killed Saturday when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in eastern Baghdad. No further details were available.

Special correspondents Aahad Ali in Basra, Naseer Nouri, Zaid Sabah, K.I. Ibrahim in Baghdad and Saad Sarhan in Najaf contributed to this report.