Curfew imposed in Najaf
2004-06-30 20:08
Najaf - Iraqi authorities in the holy city of Najaf will impose a nightly curfew, starting on Wednesday, from 20:30 to 07:30 for an indefinite period to help maintain security, the police chief said.
Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has hinted at implementing a raft of emergency measures that would include a curfew after his government became sovereign on Monday but he has yet to flesh out the details.
Pre-empting any nationwide rules, residents in Najaf, 160km south of Baghdad will be obliged to stay indoors from 20:30 until 06:30, said Brigadier General Ghalib al-Jazaairy.
"We are going to enforce a curfew to restore security in this special city," Jazaairy said.
In addition, police have increased patrols around the city - a revered spot for Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority - and set up extra checkpoints, he added.
Najaf was in the grip of a fierce rebellion by militiamen loyal to radical Iraqi Shiite Muslim leader Moqtada Sadr against the occupation forces of the US-led coalition until early this month.
Although most of Sadr's forces allowed police to deploy around the city on June 4, they have refused to relinquish the shrine of Ali, the burial place of the Prophet Mohammed's son-in-law, a revered Shiite figure.
In a sign that tensions were easing, Sadr a week ago told those members of his Mehdi Army who do not live in this holy city to go home.