From the Reuters [1], Sept. 30:
BAGHDAD - Iraq’s government shut down the capital with a one-day curfew on Saturday, ordering all cars and pedestrians off the streets and giving no reason for the measure.
As dawn broke, streets in the centre of the capital were quiet. US helicopters periodically flew overhead.
The curfew would remain in place until 6:00 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Sunday, Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s office said in a one-line statement. The US military did not comment...
The Baghdad curfew came at the end of a week of clashes and bombings which heralded the start of the holy month of Ramadan. US commanders say the past week saw a record number of suicide bombings and the last two weeks have seen a surge in violence.
More from Reuters [2], Sept. 27:
BAGHDAD - Gunmen opened fire near a Sunni mosque in western Baghdad, killing 10 civilians at the time of Ramadan evening prayers on Wednesday, Interior Ministry and police sources said.
One ministry source said some of the victims were killed inside the Mashaada mosque in the Hurriya district of northwest Baghdad. A police source said only that the clashes took place in the vicinity of the mosque.
See our last posts on Iraq [3].
