Clerics’ killings may intensify violence

BAGHDAD, Iraq – U.S. troops backed by helicopters clashed with militants in a Mosul neighborhood Tuesday, killing 20, officials said.

In Baghdad, gunmen killed a Shiite Muslim cleric, and two missing Sunni clerics were found shot dead, police said.

The killings of the clerics threatened to increase sectarian tensions a day after the government vowed to crack down on anyone targeting Shiites and Sunnis. The defense minister said Iraqi troops no longer would be allowed to enter houses of worship or universities.

Those orders follow a call by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for greater inclusion of Sunnis in Iraq’s political process. Militants belonging to the disaffected Sunni Arab minority are believed to be driving the insurgency, and respect for mosques is a sensitive issue.

On Tuesday, U.S. troops and militants clashed in the northern city of Mosul. The city has suffered well-organized attacks by insurgents and dozens of deadly car bombs in past months.

A statement released earlier by U.S. and Iraqi forces in Mosul said troops detained nine suspected terrorists in separate operations Monday and Tuesday.

In an Internet statement, a group claiming to be al Qaeda in Iraq criticized Rice’s recent visit to Iraq and her calls to include Sunni Arabs in the political process.

The statement said Rice was not welcome in Iraq and had “desecrated” its land. The group, believed to be led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, is held responsible for kidnappings, beheadings and killings and some of the deadliest bombings in Iraq.