Baghdad security to improve by end-Sept-US general

BAGHDAD, Aug 7 (Reuters) The top US general in Iraq said today that US and Iraqi forces would drive death squads and militants out of Baghdad, in another attempt to restore security to the capital by the end of September.

''There is a comprehensive plan ... to change the situation significantly prior to Ramadan,'' General George Casey, the top US commander in Iraq, told a news conference following a meeting with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

The holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims observe a strict daylight fast, is expected to start in late September this year although the exact timing will be determined by religious authorities.

Over 3,700 US troops from the 172nd Stryker Brigade began arriving in Baghdad yesterday to help stem rising sectarian violence, which has threatened to push Iraq to civil war.

The beefed up forces are an admission that Operation Forward together, a security crackdown in the capital driven by what the Iraqi government has said is about 50,000 Iraqi forces, had failed to ease violence.

''What you will see are Iraqi security forces, supported by the coalition, clearing out areas where there are terrorists and death squads, and then establishing the security presence to protect the people,'' Casey said.

''It's clear to everyone that the people in Iraq are tired of terrorism and want peace and security. That peace and security will come when all Iraqis reject violence and accept peace.'' The United States boosted its soldiers in the capital, in a blow to Washington's hopes that it can start bringing its troops home, after Iraqi forces failed to curb increasingly savage sectarian attacks or confront armed militias blamed for fanning tension.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has sworn to disarm these groups, but must proceed with care because some are connected to members of his newly formed government of national unity.

US and Iraqi forces fought a two hour gun battle overnight today in Sadr City, the east Baghdad stronghold of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and his Mehdi Army militia.

Police said that two people were killed and 18 wounded. The United States said they were on a raid to detain suspected members of a punishment and torture cell.

''All the operations are designed to protect the population, and if the people of Baghdad cooperate with their security forces, this can happen very quickly,'' Casey said.

REUTERS SP RN2250