Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki today declared a state of emergency for a month in oil-rich Basra which is in the grip of a power struggle among Shia factions.
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Nuri al-Maliki: gangs "manipulating" security will be beaten with an "iron fist" |
"We hope after this month that we will come back to Basra and see that the situation has improved a lot," Mr Maliki told reporters in Iraq's second city after announcing the measure.
Security forces will be deployed in the streets of Basra day and night and they will also conduct search operations, a government source said, giving more details.
Mr Maliki, who was heading a high-level government delegation to Basra to restore security, earlier vowed to crack down with an "iron fist" on gangs threatening security in the southern city.
Security has deteriorated sharply in Basra over the past year as rival factions from the Shia Muslim majority tussle for a share of the power handed to Shia by the US overthrow of Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated administration.
Basra, whose oil accounts for virtually all of Iraq's state revenues, is a major prize for all parties.
Stressing Basra was crucial for the country, Mr Maliki earlier told local leaders in an address broadcast live on television:
"We will beat with an iron fist on the heads of gangs who are manipulating security ... Security is first, second and third. This must be said."
Mr Maliki is a leading member of the ruling, but fractious, Shia Islamist United Alliance.
The main Alliance factions in Basra's power struggle are the armed Badr organisation, the governor's Fadhila party and the movement of cleric and militia leader Moqtada al-Sadr.
A source close to Fadhila warned last week it could halt oil exports.