Iraq PM vows no safe haven for militants

[Ron Burgundy]

Reuters - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Malikivowed on Thursday that his crackdown in Baghdad would leavemilitants nowhere to hide, even if they sought refuge inmosques or schools.

In a speech to parliament, Maliki urged politicians on allsides to support his Baghdad security plan, backed by some17,000 U.S. reinforcements, which is seen by many as a lastchance to stem sectarian violence in the capital.

"There will be no safe haven -- no school, no home, no(Sunni) mosque or Shi'ite mosque. They will all be raided ifthey are turned into a launchpad for terrorism, even theheadquarters of political parties," he said.

Maliki said his determination had already borne fruit.

"I know that senior criminals have left Baghdad, othershave fled the country. This is good, this shows that ourmessage is being taken seriously," he said.

There has been some concern that militants could simplyavoid confrontation during the crackdown, betting thateventually U.S. troops will leave.

"There is a ... concern they might be lying low, avoidingconflict now in order to fight another day," U.S. AmbassadorZalmay Khalilzad said on Wednesday.

Criticised for not doing enough about Shi'ite militiaslinked to some of his allies, Maliki has vowed to take on armedgroups regardless of sect or political affiliation.

"We have worked hard to get professional officers to leadthis plan, with no political affiliations. So let's all helpthese officers," he said, answering criticism that the Iraqiarmy and police are infiltrated by sectarian militias.

Washington has identified the Mehdi Army, a militia loyalto radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, as the greatestthreat to security in Iraq and has warned that the success ofMaliki's plan depends on him going after Shi'ite militias withas much determination as he deals with Sunni Arab insurgents.

The prime minister, who depends on Sadr's politicalmovement for support in parliament, has been accused of failingto crack down on the Mehdi Army in the past, but officials inhis Shi'ite Alliance say he has now accepted he must takeaction.

A senior member of the Sadrist movement, Bahaa al-Araji,pledged the group's support for the plan in parliament, as didthe main Sunni Arab and Kurdish parties. The parliament votedunanimously to support the plan.

Since Maliki announced his plan earlier this month therehave been a string of bombings and dozens of bodies continue tobe found dumped in the city, apparent victims of death squads.Thirty-three were found on Wednesday alone.

REFUGEE RETURN

Maliki said Iraqi security forces would start to removesquatters from Baghdad homes they have illegally occupied sincethe owners fled sectarian intimidation and ethnic cleansing.

"Today or tomorrow we will start arresting those who areliving in the homes of refugees, to open the way for theirreturn," he said.

Tens of thousands of people, including Shi'ites, SunniArabs and Christians, have fled their homes in Baghdad becauseof violence and threats that have turned many formerly mixeddistricts into sectarian enclaves.

The United Nations says nearly half a million Iraqis havebeen internally displaced within Iraq since the bombing of aShi'ite shrine in February sparked a surge in sectarianattacks. Many more have fled the country.

Maliki rejected suggestions his security plan represented alast chance, saying there were no timetables for success.

"The battle between us and terrorism is an open-endedbattle," he said. "It does not stop with the end of this plan."

With U.S. public patience with the war running thin, U.S.President George W. Bush's plan to send 21,500 extra troops,most of them to Baghdad, has met stiff opposition in the newDemocrat-dominated Congress.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday brushedaside Bush's plea to give his new war strategy a chance andvoted 12-9 for the resolution against it. The resolution is duefor a vote by the entire Senate next week.

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070125/ts_nm/iraq_dc [link]