Abadi orders five Baghdadi districts to become arms-free
Abadi orders five Baghdadi districts to become arms-free
The Iraqi prime minister orders weapons to be removed from the districts soon after clashes between rival militias over the kidnapping of militia leader.
2 min read
Iraqi soldiers patrol the streets in central Baghdad on 5 February [AFP]
The Iraqi prime minister has ordered five districts in Baghdad to become weapons-free zones, raising concerns they will become targets for militias.
Haider al-Abadi also called for a decade-old curfew on Baghdad to end on Saturday 7 February.
"Abadi ordered Karrada district to be disarmed first, followed by Kadhmiyah, Adhamiyah, Mansour, and Saidiyah districts," according to Baghdad Operations Command, which is responsible for securing the capital.
The command added that Abadi had also ordered strategic roads into the capital to be opened to allow citizens to enter and leave the city.
Security expert Ahmad al-Saidi warned this meant that citizens would not be able to defend themselves from militias if security forces failed to do so.
He told al-Araby al-Jadeed: "Abadi should have first disarmed the militias, especially in Baghdad, before removing weapons from these districts."
The announcement came soon after clashes between militias in the area. Fighting broke out after secretary general of the Iraqi militia Hizballah the Mujahideen was kidnapped from his residence in Karada on Saturday 31 January. His location is currently unknown.
The Iraqi army shut down Karrada to coincide with the end of the 48-hour deadline given by the militia to release its commander.
An officer from the Iraqi federal police told al-Araby: "The army, backed by federal and riot police, has deployed dozens of checkpoints to check the identities of people entering and leaving Karrada."
He added that these were preemptive measures to stop further clashes breaking out.
This article is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.
Haider al-Abadi also called for a decade-old curfew on Baghdad to end on Saturday 7 February.
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Citizens will be unable to defend themselves from militias if security forces fail to do so. |
The command added that Abadi had also ordered strategic roads into the capital to be opened to allow citizens to enter and leave the city.
Security expert Ahmad al-Saidi warned this meant that citizens would not be able to defend themselves from militias if security forces failed to do so.
He told al-Araby al-Jadeed: "Abadi should have first disarmed the militias, especially in Baghdad, before removing weapons from these districts."
The announcement came soon after clashes between militias in the area. Fighting broke out after secretary general of the Iraqi militia Hizballah the Mujahideen was kidnapped from his residence in Karada on Saturday 31 January. His location is currently unknown.
The Iraqi army shut down Karrada to coincide with the end of the 48-hour deadline given by the militia to release its commander.
An officer from the Iraqi federal police told al-Araby: "The army, backed by federal and riot police, has deployed dozens of checkpoints to check the identities of people entering and leaving Karrada."
He added that these were preemptive measures to stop further clashes breaking out.
This article is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.
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