Iraq Continues to Deteriorate Further

State of emergency declared in Basra, Iraq
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer​

Iraq's prime minister declared a state of emergency Wednesday in once peaceful and oil-rich Basra, as the sectarian and militia violence engulfing the country's capital spread to its southern economic heartland.​

In his first major policy speech since his government was sworn in May 20, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki vowed to restore security in Iraq as attacks around the country claimed 25 lives and wounded dozens.

"We shall use an iron fist against the leaders of the gangs or those who threaten security," he said, apparently referring to the militias as well as rival tribal groups. "And we shall ask all security departments to draw up an effective and quick plan to achieve security."

Al-Maliki promised to crack down on sectarian gangs in Basra and declared a monthlong state of emergency, which broadens arrest powers for Iraqi security services and establishes an evening curfew....


In other violence Wednesday, according to police:

• A mortar attack killed nine people and wounded 20 in Baghdad's Dora district.

• A car bomb targeting a police patrol in Mosul killed at least five policemen and wounded 14.

• Gunmen ambushed a minibus in Baqouba, northeast of Baghdad, killing at least five people and wounding three.

• Jamal Kadhim Hassoun al-Zamili, former governor of Diwaniyah south of Baghdad, was killed in a drive-by shooting, while a bomb hidden in an air conditioner killed the mayor of Muqdadiyah, north of Baghdad.

• A 24-year-old sportscaster for al-Iraqiya TV, Ali Jaafar, was gunned down near his home in Baghdad. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the slaying, saying insurgents have frequently targeted the station because of its ties to the U.S.-backed government.

• Gunmen killed a Shiite muazzin as he was leaving his house to go to the Imam Ali Mosque in Baghdad.

• Police in the northern city of Mosul said gunmen killed two civilians and wounded another.

• At least 19 bodies were found in Baghdad, many blindfolded and handcuffed, apparent victims of sectarian killings.

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