BAGHDAD, May 26: US-led forces killed dozens of Shia militiamen loyal to Moqtada Sadr in a night of fighting in Iraq that saw one of his key lieutenants arrested in a raid on his home in Najaf.

Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, deputy director of military operations, told reporters on Wednesday that "sadly a very large number, which he put at "less than 100," were killed in fighting in the Baghdad stronghold of Sadr City and Najaf.

"Less than 30" were killed in the capital's impoverished slum, Kimmitt said, confirming that US troops arrested key Sadr lieutenant Ryad al-Nuri early Wednesday. However, hospital sources in Sadr City said only one dead person and 20 wounded had been brought in overnight.

Hundreds of militiamen have been killed in nearly two months of daily fighting between US-led occupation troops and Sadr's private Mehdi Army, which has paralysed Najaf and dogged cities across central and southern Iraq.

On Monday, combined death tolls from the military put the number of dead Mehdi Army at 47 in 48 hours of clashes in Sadr City. Another 32 insurgents were killed on Sunday in Kufa and 10 arrested in Karbala.

Coalition officials have repeatedly stated their determination to wipe out the Mehdi Army and bring the popular leader to justice. "We are constantly chipping away at his illegal militia," Kimmitt told reporters in response to questions over the progress of US efforts to bring an end to the firebrand cleric's insurgency.

"Sadr certainly has less forces today than he did yesterday and he certainly has one less lieutenant today than he did yesterday," he added. "The American forces arrested today Sayyed Ryad al-Nuri, one of the closest assistants of Moqtada Sadr, who is also his brother-in-law," said a spokesman for the cleric, Fuad al-Turfi.

Kimmitt said later that Nuri, wanted in connection with the murder of cleric Abdel Majid al-Khoi in April 2003, "is being handed over to Iraqi authorities". Nuri was arrested at his Najaf home at 4:00am (midnight GMT) without a fight in a series of coordinated raids on the homes of key Sadr aides. US forces also arrested three of Turfi's brothers who work in Sadr's office, the Sadr spokesman added. -AFP