Bombs kill 28 but PM vows no haven for militants

[Ron Burgundy]

Reuters - Bombs killed at least 28 people inBaghdad on Thursday, but Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Malikivowed his new crackdown in Baghdad would leave militantsnowhere to hide.

In a speech to parliament, Maliki urged politicians on allsides to support his security plan, backed by some 17,000 U.S.reinforcements, which is seen by many as a last chance to stemsectarian 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.

Some fear that militants may simply avoid confrontation inthe crackdown, betting that eventually 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.

Criticized 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.

NO LET-UP

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.

A car bomb ripped through a shopping district in Karrada incentral Baghdad, killing 20 people and wounding another 20, apolice source said.

Another car bomb and a motorbike bomb exploded in othermarkets, killing five people, while a roadside bomb killedthree, police said. Earlier this week a double bombing at amarket killed at least 88 people in central Baghdad.

Two rockets landed in the heavily fortified Green Zonehousing the government and embassies, provoking loudspeakerwarnings to for people to take cover. The U.S. military had noimmediate information on casualties.

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.

Maliki also rejected suggestions his security plan was alast chance: "The battle between us and terrorism is anopen-ended battle. It does not stop with the end of this plan."

With U.S. public patience running thin, U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush's plan to send 21,500 extra troops has met stiffopposition in the new Democrat-dominated Congress.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday voted12-9 against the new war strategy in a resolution that is duefor a vote by the entire Senate next week.

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