Iraq renews state of emergency as the bombings continue

IRAQ’S government yesterday announced it had renewed its state of emergency for another 30 days following two weeks of insurgent-led violence that have killed hundreds of people.

The 30-day period began on 3 May and covers all Iraq except for northern Kurdish-run areas.

The emergency decree, renewed monthly since being imposed in November, includes a night-time curfew and gives the government extra powers to make arrests without warrants and launch police and military operations whenever it deems them necessary.

This latest renewal was announced by interim prime minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari’s office. It continues a state of emergency first imposed hours before United States and Iraqi troops launched a determined offensive to drive insurgents out of Fallujah, west of Baghdad.

Mr al-Jaafari, who formed a new government late last month, said earlier this week that he would impose martial law if insurgents continued their spree of attacks.

Yesterday’s announcement came as US troops continued an offensive in western Iraq near the Syrian border in a search for followers of the country’s most wanted militant, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Meanwhile, a US soldier was killed yesterday and four others wounded by a car bomb in central Iraq, the military said.

The Task Force Liberty soldiers were on a combat patrol when the explosion occurred in Beiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad.