Residents says Iraqi soldiers warn them to leave Sadr City

BAGHDAD (AP) - Local residents say Iraqi soldiers are warning people to leave their homes in Sadr City for security reasons.

They say the warning is the first time residents are being told to flee the embattled Baghdad district.

The residents say soldiers using loudspeakers are telling people to go to nearby soccer stadiums. But most residents still have not left.

Thursday's warning signals that U.S.-backed forces are preparing to launch a new push into the area to clear pockets of Shiite extremists who have been battling U.S. soldiers for almost seven weeks.

UNICEF says about 6,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Shiite militia stronghold.