The U.S. military says 28 militants have been killed in fighting between Shi'ite militiamen and U.S. and Iraqi forces in the Sadr City area of east Baghdad.

A spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Steve Stover, says at least four U.S. soldiers were wounded in the fighting Tuesday.

The clashes appeared to be a continuation of fighting Sunday and Monday in which American and Iraqi troops killed at least 38 militants in the area.

One-year old Hiba Mohammed, who was injured by shrapnel during recent clashes, is treated for wounds in a hospital in Sadr City, Iraq, 29 Apr 2008

Earlier Tuesday, Iraqi officials said at least eight people were killed and about 25 wounded in fighting in Sadr City.

It was not immediately clear whether the two gunbattles Tuesday were the same.

Militias loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have been battling coalition and Iraqi forces in Sadr City since late March. More than 300 people have been killed, including militants and civilians.

On Sunday, Sadr rejected conditions set by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to end the fighting. A spokesman for the Sadr movement accused Mr. Maliki of wanting to resolve the problem by force and not dialogue.

In other news, the U.S. military says coalition forces killed three suspected terrorists Tuesday and detained 12 others while targeting al-Qaida in Iraq fighters in the northern half of the country.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.