Monday, November 27, 2006
Baghdad curfew lifted
Security
Baghdad authorities on Monday lifted a three-day curfew imposed on the city after the worst bombing since the U.S. invasion, but nerves were on edge amid fears of further violence. Traffic was light in Baghdad as many residents apparently stayed home, waiting to see what would happen as vehicles circulated for the first time since Thursday's car bombs. The multiple bombing in the Shi'ite militia stronghold of Sadr City killed 202 people and drew comparisons to the February bombing of a Shi'ite shrine in Samarra that was the trigger for a surge in violence.
Gunmen attacked Sunni Arab neighborhoods the following day, and rumors and accusations of more attacks have swirled despite the curfew. "I didn't send my children to school today because of these rumors. People say these militias are distributing uniforms and they are going to make fake checkpoints today in Baghdad," said Abu Marwah, a 40-year-old translator. The Iraqi Islamic Party, the largest Sunni Arab party, said tens of Sunnis had been killed during the curfew by gunmen wearing uniforms, though there was no independent confirmation.
Washington has focused its efforts on training and empowering Iraq's security forces but many Sunni Arabs suspect they are infiltrated by Shi'ite militias they hold responsible for thousands of death squad killings. Maliki has struggled to crack down on militias linked to his allies in parliament, particularly the Mehdi Army, a militia loyal to radical anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Maliki's motorcade was pelted with stones on Sunday by fellow Shi'ites in Sadr City when he paid respects to some of the victims of Thursday's bombing which was the deadliest attack since Saddam Hussein was toppled in April 2003.
Washington has focused its efforts on training and empowering Iraq's security forces but many Sunni Arabs suspect they are infiltrated by Shi'ite militias they hold responsible for thousands of death squad killings. Maliki has struggled to crack down on militias linked to his allies in parliament, particularly the Mehdi Army, a militia loyal to radical anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Maliki's motorcade was pelted with stones on Sunday by fellow Shi'ites in Sadr City when he paid respects to some of the victims of Thursday's bombing which was the deadliest attack since Saddam Hussein was toppled in April 2003.
