US Army blockading Sadr City; most of the South and Center of Iraq is under curfew

Voices of Iraq posted an item at the end of the day Tuesday that included this:

Eyewitnesses in various parts of Sadr City told VOI that the American forces encircled Sadr City as of this afternoon, closing off all entrances, and took over the place of the Iraqi forces at the entrances to Sadr City. They said there was the intermittent sound of gunfire and the sound of explosions in various areas of Sadr City, which is under partial cutoff of electric power to some areas, as residents hurried to markets for food-supplies, fearing a deterioration of the situation.

VOI reported one eyewitness said the US forces let in four firefighting vehicles and three ambulances.

And Voices of Iraq reported that by the end of the day Tuesday the authorities had declared nighttime curfews in six provinces in the South and Center of Iraq, including not only Basra but also Wassit and Babel, and now Diwaniya, Nassiriya, and Karbala as well. There isn't any explanation of reasons for these curfews.