he United States confirmed on Sunday that U.S. special forces units were operating alongside Iraqi government troops in Basra, where the government is battling militants loyal to Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. A U.S. military statement described a joint raid by Iraqi and U.S. special forces units which killed 22 suspected militants, including “16 criminal fighters” strafed in an air strike on three houses. Full Story