Iraqi minister says gunmen executed 13 soldiers

DIWANIYA, Iraq, Aug 30 (Reuters) Gunmen ''executed'' 13 Iraqi soldiers after their ammunition ran out during fierce clashes in the town of Diwaniya, south of Baghdad, Iraq's defence minister said today.

The 12-hour gun battle on Monday was among the bloodiest between Iraqi government forces and Shi'ite militiamen. The Defence Ministry had said 20 of its soldiers were killed.

''What happened in Diwaniya was a surprise and everyone must know that the government has authority,'' Abdul Qader Jassim told a group of local tribal leaders during a visit to an Iraqi army base in Diwaniya, 180 km (110 miles) south of Baghdad.

The Defence Ministry had said 50 unidentified gunmen were killed in the fighting, in which US aircraft were called in to provide air cover to Iraqi forces before violence ended following talks among Shi'ite leaders.

Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has vowed to disarm militias, including those of fellow Shi'ite Islamists with seats in the coalition cabinet.

At the heart of the fighting in Diwaniya appear to have been Mehdi Army militias loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who is a growing political force in post-war Iraq and a key member of Maliki's ruling coalition.

Senior political officials close to Sadr denied involvement in the battle. A local leader of the Mehdi Army insisted only two of his men had been killed.

The clashes underlined the challenges Maliki is facing in building up Iraq's security forces to take over from about 150,000 mainly American troops.

REUTERS KR PM1845