Iraq PM to launch major new Baghdad crackdown

Baghdad, Jan 6: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said todayhis security forces, backed by Americans, were about to implement amajor new crackdown on illegal armed groups from all sectarian factionsin Baghdad.

Maliki said in a speech at a parade marking Army Day that the planwould be implemented in spite of any criticism from political factions:''The security plan is ready.'' Military commanders in eachneighbourhood of the capital, where a US-backed security plan was firstlaunched five months ago, would have full powers to implement the planas they saw fit in their own areas.

''After a review of the previous plans, we will depend on ourarmed forces to implement this plan and the Multinational Force willsupport our forces,'' Maliki said. ''They will intervene whenever theyare called on.'' ''We completely reject any interference from anypolitical parties in this plan. There will be no refuge from this planfor anyone who is operating beyond the law, regardless of their sect ortheir political affiliation,'' he said, adding that the plan wouldcontinue until its objectives had been achieved.

''We will come down hard on anyone who does not carry out theirorders and who does their job according to his political or sectarianbackground. We will pursue those people under the law and punish themmost severely,'' he said, in an address at a monument to the UnknownSoldier, erected by Saddam Hussein.

''We realise that implementing it will create some inconveniencesfor the people of Baghdad but they know that this is for their owngood,'' said Maliki, who also defended the execution of Saddam a weekago and said his government would ''review'' relations with countrieswhich did not respect the will of the Iraqi people to hang the ousteddictator.

A spokesman for the US military in Baghdad said he could not comment on ongoing operations.

Senior officials in Maliki's dominant Shi'ite Islamist bloc in thenational unity government told Reuters last week that they expectedlimited, targeted operations against Shi'ite militia death squads tobegin after the Eid al-Adha holiday.

Iraqis get fully back to work tomorrow after a week off.

The main target of such operations, they said, would be the MehdiArmy loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, which is blamed by Sunnisfor death squads that are killing hundreds of people a week in thecapital. From Maliki's speech, however, it was clear Sunni insurgentswould also be targeted in Baghdad.

Reuters>