ARCTEKJim

By Mussab Al-Khairalla 1 hour, 31 minutes ago


BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. and Iraqi forces have killed around 400 suspected militants since the start of a major security crackdown in Baghdad, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Saturday.


Maliki visited the command center for the operation which was launched 10 days ago and urged security forces not to be swayed by sectarian loyalties.
The Shi'ite prime minister is under pressure from Washington to root out Shi'ite militias with as much determination as he has taken on Sunni Arab insurgents.
Friday's brief detention by U.S. forces of the son of Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, one of Iraq's most powerful Shi'ite leaders, could strain his government's relations with Washington.
Maliki told reporters 426 suspected militants had been detained in the crackdown "and around that number have been killed" since it was launched in mid-February. The campaign is regarded as the last chance to prevent all-out civil war.
North of Baghdad, Iraqi troops supported by U.S. aircraft killed "tens" of militants at an insurgent base early on Saturday, the Interior Ministry said.
Ministry spokesman Brigadier Abdul-Kareem Khalaf said a large Iraqi force clashed with insurgents in a rural area of Mashahda at dawn. U.S. air strikes destroyed the base.
Maliki said the crackdown would be extended to other provinces once Baghdad was stabilized. "I'm very optimistic about this plan because of the cooperation between the people and the security forces," he said.
A statement from his office said the prime minister reminded security forces to "respect the citizen" during searches. "We will punish all those who ease up on searches involving people from their sect or ethnicity," the statement said.
Washington has called the Mehdi Army, a militia loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, the greatest threat to security in Iraq. Sunni Arabs blame it for running death squads with the collusion of police they say are deeply infiltrated by the militias. Sadr denies the charges.
The crackdown appears to have reduced the number of death squad victims found each day in Baghdad from around 40 or 50 in recent months, but U.S. commanders have said it will take months to really judge its success.
On Friday just five bodies were found, a police source said.
ANGER OVER DETENTION
Hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets of Shi'ite towns on Saturday to protest Friday's detention of Ammar al-Hakim.
There were no reports of violence. The U.S. military said Ammar al-Hakim was held on Friday because members of his convoy acted suspiciously at a border checkpoint while returning from Iran. He was released after several hours.
The incident could strain good ties between Washington and the elder Hakim's Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), the dominant party in the Shi'ite-led government.
Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim held talks with President Bush in Washington in December.

U.S. military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Garver said in a statement the convoy was stopped because the vehicles met "specific criteria for further investigation in an area where smuggling activity has taken place in the past."
"At the time, members of the convoy did not cooperate with Coalition Forces and displayed suspicious activities which subsequently led to Mr. Hakim's detention," Garver said.
"Further investigation led to Mr. Hakim's release to Iraqi authorities and the return of his possessions. Mr. Hakim was treated with dignity and respect throughout the incident.
"Unfortunate incidents such as this occasionally occur as Iraq endeavors to secure its borders," he said.
Washington accuses Iran of providing weapons to Shi'ite militias in Iraq. Security forces closed the border with Iran for several days earlier this month.
U.S. forces have recently arrested a number of Iranians in Iraq, including several who were seized at Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim's compound in Baghdad. They were later released.
Abdul-Kareem al-Jazairi, Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim's Basra representative, said the incident highlighted "American foolishness." "He is a well-known figure and to claim he was arrested by mistake is nonsense. We consider this an American attempt to create chaos

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