Saturday, September 16, 2006
Plan announced to secure Baghdad
Security
Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki urged Iraqis Saturday to cast aside their sectarian, ethnic and political differences and embrace his national reconciliation plan. The appeal came as Iraqi security forces announced they will dig trenches around Baghdad in an attempt to prevent insurgents and explosive-laden cars from entering the city of six million.
"There is a plan in progress for a security belt around Baghdad that includes trenches and other obstacles for channeling exit from and entry to the city through checkpoints controlled by Iraqi forces. This is a cooperative effort between the Iraqi government and the Coalition," said Lt Col. Barry Johnson, a spokesman for Multinational Forces in Iraq on Saturday.
"There is a plan in progress for a security belt around Baghdad that includes trenches and other obstacles for channeling exit from and entry to the city through checkpoints controlled by Iraqi forces. This is a cooperative effort between the Iraqi government and the Coalition," said Lt Col. Barry Johnson, a spokesman for Multinational Forces in Iraq on Saturday.
Brig. Abdul-Kareem Khalaf said the trench plan would restrict vehicle and pedestrian traffic to just 28 entry points, all with guarded checkpoints. Similar checkpoints are set up now on some central routes through Baghdad, including the highway to the airport, but they need hundreds of soldiers to man them. In the last four days, security forces recovered nearly 150 bodies, most of them from Baghdad.
He said the plan was inspired by the Battle of Khandaq — Arabic for Battle of the Trench — in 627, during which Prophet Muhammad protected the city of Medina from an army by digging trenches.
He said the plan was inspired by the Battle of Khandaq — Arabic for Battle of the Trench — in 627, during which Prophet Muhammad protected the city of Medina from an army by digging trenches.
