Curfew lifted but tension high in Baghdad
Source: Reuters
By Claudia Parsons BAGHDAD, Nov 27 (Reuters) - 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. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani was due to fly to Iran to hold talks amid growing calls to seek assistance to help stop Iraq sliding into civil war from Iran and Syria. Washington accuses Syria of aiding Sunni insurgents and Tehran of backing Shi'ite militias. King Abdullah of Jordan, who will host a summit in Amman between Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and President George W. Bush this week, said "something dramatic" must come out of the summit because Iraq was "beginning to spiral out of control". 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. RUMOURS AND ACCUSATIONS Gunmen attacked Sunni Arab neighbourhoods the following day, and rumours and accusations of more attacks have swirled despite the curfew. "I didn't send my children to school today because of these rumours. 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. Politicians from all sides issued a joint appeal for calm on Sunday. But Maliki accused fellow leaders of fuelling the violence.
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