Home / International / Photo News Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read | Comment
Iraqi PM renews vow to disband militias
Adjust font size:

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki confirmed on Wednesday his vow to disband all the armed groups, including Shiite Mahdi Army militia, whom he accused of using civilians as "human shields" in fightings in Sadr City.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki speaks during a news conference in Baghdad April 30, 2008.

"We will not stop until we take all the weapons from them ilitia and disband Mahdi Army and Sunni insurgent groups like Islamic Army and Omer Army," Maliki said in a press conference in Baghdad.

Maliki reiterated his terms put earlier in the week for militias to obey to avoid crackdown, under which the militias should hand in all heavy and medium weapons and turn over all wanted people and those involved in violence.

Militias, including Mahdi Army militia loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, were employing tactics used previously by the former regime of Saddam Hussein, Maliki said.

"Criminals and outlawed gangs are using civilians as human shields in the Sadr City. They are doing what Saddam's Baath party did," he said.

"Those criminals are trying to gain sympathy from the world byusing lies and values of the Baath regime," he added. Late on March, Maliki led an offensive against Sadr followers in several Iraqi cities, including Baghdad and Basra. He then warned that Sadr must disband his Mahdi Army militia or will be barred from taking part in the upcoming provincial elections. Last week, Sadr threatened an "open war" against the Iraqi government if the U.S.-backed Iraqi troops continue to crack down on his Mahdi Army militiamen.

A spokesman for the government's Baghdad security plan Tehseen Sheikhly told foreign media that over 900 people have been killed and some 2600 more people wounded in clashes in Sadr City since late March.

(Xinhua News Agency May 1, 2008)

Tools: Save | Print | E-mail | Most Read
Comment
Pet Name
Anonymous
China Archives
Related >>
- Iraq Leader Lauds Shiite, Kurdish Militia
- Iraq opens trial on former regime officials
- UN plays enhanced role in Iraq: official
- US commander in Iraq promoted to top post in Mideast
- Suicide bomber hits police checkpoint, wounds 30 in western Iraq
- 44 bodies found in mass graves in Iraq
- Iraq's Sadr threatens 'open war'
Most Viewed >>
- Japanese PM meets Chinese students
- Major countries agree to negotiate with Iran
- Time unveils list of 100 most influential
- German foundation behind anti-China protests
- Unfair to blame China for Africa's problems
> Korean Nuclear Talks
> Reconstruction of Iraq
> Middle East Peace Process
> Iran Nuclear Issue
> 6th SCO Summit Meeting
Links
- China Development Gateway
- Foreign Ministry
- Network of East Asian Think-Tanks
- China-EU Association
- China-Africa Business Council
- China Foreign Affairs University
- University of International Relations
- Institute of World Economics & Politics
- Institute of Russian, East European & Central Asian Studies
- Institute of West Asian & African Studies
- Institute of Latin American Studies
- Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies
- Institute of Japanese Studies