US troops say they have advanced into a Shia area of Baghdad, which is a stronghold for supporters of radical Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr.
People living in the Sadr City area told the BBC that there were fierce gun battles overnight between the American forces and the Shia fighters.
There was also fighting in Najaf on Thursday, where Mr Sadr is occupying a shrine with his armed supporters.
Mr Sadr has offered to end his uprising if there is a truce.