Al-Maliki offered a reward for weapons that are handed over to the government [AFP]

Nuri al-Maliki also offered to pay fighters who gave up their weapons, as MPs held an emergency session of parliament to discuss clashes between Shia militias and the army which have killed more than 130 people.
 
The Iraqi government has been struggling to contain a crisis which began when a military crackdown in the southern city of Basra sparked clashes across the country.

On Friday, fighting broke in Baghdad's Sadr City and Kadhimiyah, two areas dominated by supporters of Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr
 
A US helicopter fired a missile during fighting in Sadr City, killing at least four people.

The US military said it called in the air raid after coming under small arms fire and the dead were Shia fighters.

However, Iraqi police and hospital officials said five civilians were killed The capital has been placed under curfew until Sunday morning.

Air support

In Basra, US-led forces entered the fighting for the first time carrying out bombing raids in the city overnight, a British military spokesman said.

Major Tom Holloway also said that British forces based at Basra airport had been providing air support and surveillance over the city, as well as refuelling Iraqi helicopters and transport planes.

Parliament set up a committee led by the Sunni Arab speaker to try to mediate an end to the violence, Bassem Sharif of the Fadhila party said.

However, the country's largest Shia bloc, the United Iraqi Alliance, boycotted the emergency session, arguing the crackdown in the south is a question of law and order, not legislative policy.

The Dawa party of al-Maliki, who is personally supervising the military operation in southern Iraq, is a member of the alliance.

'Hypocrite'

Another of al-Sadr's representatives called al-Maliki "a hypocrite" during a sermon calling for an end to military operations and the release of supporters of the Shia leader.

"He imprisoned and displaced thousands of Iraqi people under the name of democracy. He is killing the citizens in the south of Iraq," Sheik Jalil al-Sarghi said, referring to al-Maliki.

Al-Maliki has pledged "no retreat" in the fight against Shia militia forces.

George Bush, the US president, said during a visit to Australia that the violence in Iraq was a "defining moment" for the country and a key test for al-Maliki's government.

"This is a test and a moment for the Iraqi government which strongly has supported Prime Minister Maliki's actions," he said.

"It is an interesting moment for the people of Iraq because in order for this democracy to survive they must have confidence in their government's ability to protect them and to be even-handed."

Fierce clashes

Fierce clashes erupted in the southern city of Nasiriyah early on Friday between Iraqi forces and Shia fighters, killing at least four policemen, a local police official said.

Police and hospital officials said five people died in a US raid in Sadr City [AFP]

In the southern city of Kut, 45 people were reported dead and 87 wounded from at least three days of fighing.

Helicopters dropped leaflets on Basra calling on residents to help the government in its fight "to rid Basra of outlaws".

Few journalists have been able to travel to the southern city, but witnesses said that Basra's streets were deserted, with shops and businesses shut.

Hassan, a resident of Basra, said: "For two days now, we woke up to sounds of explosion - we have never witnessed such huge attacks in Basra."

He said all cities roads had all been blocked, while Mahdi Army fighters attacked Iraqi forces from residential and commercial blocks.

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