Iraqi military failed to help US military retake control of Sadr City. The soldiers reportedly ignored pleas from US advisers and fled their positions, army officials reported.

Despite begging the Iraqi army captain to tell his men to hold their positions, U.S. Army Capt. Logan Veath of the 25th Infantry Division and his soldiers were left alone during a firefight according to The New York Times.

"If you turn around and go back up the street, those soldiers will follow you. If you tuck tail and cowardly run away they will follow up that way, too," Veath reportedly told his Iraqi counterpart.

However, another Iraqi unit was sent into combat to help the US troops and the joint operation was a success in the end. The allied troops made it into Sadr City where they will clash with militants loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr.

"We don't see any progress being made at all," said Sgt. George Lewis of the 25th Infantry Division about the fact that at least 1,000 Iraqi security forces fled their positions in the Basra conflict.

At least two men were killed and another 18 were injured in the fire exchange, police said Wednesday. A police officer said three women and three children were among the people wounded in Tuesday’s gun battles.

Sadr City, home to about 2.5 million Shiites, is currently the stronghold of the Mahdi Army militia loyal to the anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.