Iraq violence persists through Rice visit

BAGHDAD, April 20 (UPI) -- At least 59 Shiite militants were killed during the weekend in Baghdad and Nasiriya, the U.S. military said Sunday.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on a brief visit to Iraq, was greeted by rocket fire from Sadr City into the Green Zone, the Los Angeles Times reported. One rocket landed shortly before Rice dedicated a memorial to State Department employees killed in Iraq.

The government launched its offensive aimed at disarming the Mehdi Army so the "legitimate security forces" can control the entire country, Rice said.

"The Jaish al Mahdi and particularly special groups ... had completely destroyed law and order in Basra and somebody had to deal with that," Rice said.

While Rice was in the Green Zone, fighting continued in Sadr City. At least 12 suspected Mehdi Army fighters were killed, while a civilian died in a roadside bomb blast aimed at a military convoy.

In Nasiriya in southern Iraq Iraqi security forces with support from the U.S. military killed 40 suspected militants.