|
Amara, Iraq: Iraqi security forces launched a crackdown on Shiite militias in the southern city of Amara on Thursday, the latest drive in Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki's campaign to restore order to Iraq.
There was no resistance and residents said they had not heard one gunshot.
Amara, home to 250,000 people, is a stronghold of the Mehdi Army militia of anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr. Witnesses saw police raiding houses of suspected insurgents, backed by US troops in armoured vehicles.
"The operation started this morning," Maj-Gen Tarek Abdul Wahab, the commander of the offensive, told Reuters. "We have already arrested some wanted men. We can't disclose who, but the operation is moving smoothly."
Two senior police sources and a source from the governorship of Maysan province told Reuters that among those arrested were Amara's mayor, Rafea Abdul-Jaber, and a member of the municipal council. Twelve men were arrested in total, Interior Ministry Spokesman Maj-Gen Abdul-Karim Khalaf said.
Al Sadr has ordered his fighters to cooperate.
"We stand with the government on imposing the law and we are showing goodwill," Baha'a Al Araji, a senior member of Sadr's parliamentary bloc, told an Iraqi television station. "But law must be imposed on everybody. We hope the target of the plan is not our movement."
Iraqi troops and police have been tightening their grip on Amara for days. They have urged militias to hand over medium and heavy weapons, such as rockets and mortars. Police said they found an underground cache of weapons during yesterday's operation.
Calling the operation the "Omen of Peace", a cabinet statement said it would "impose law ... and confront outlaws."
Local police spokesman Col Mehdi Al Asadi said a curfew had been imposed on Maysan province until further notice.
US helicopters hovered overhead, many residents stayed home and some shops were closed.
"We are glad they are bringing stability to the city," said Amara resident Jaber Mohsin, 40, as police searched his house.
Besides being under the influence of militias, Amara has been a haven for arms smugglers from neighbouring Iran.
Maliki has previously sent the Iraqi army, with US support, into Mehdi Army bastions in Baghdad and the southern oil city of Basra, and launched a campaign against Al Qaida insurgents in the northern city of Mosul.
Analysts say Al Sadr's conciliatory stance shows he is pursuing a twin strategy, trying to regain control of his unruly militia while avoiding confrontation with the government.
Analysts say Al Sadr is wary of the US military's immense firepower.
|
