(KUNA) -- The Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki announced Friday the end of Baghdad's curfew at 5:00 pm today, instead of Saturday morning. Earlier today Al-Maliki ordered total curfew in Baghdad from Friday noon till Saturday morning, Iraqi state television reported. According to Baghdad's security plan, launched on June 14, 2006, a daily curfew is imposed in the capital from 8:30 pm until 6:00 am.
The plan also imposes a curfew on Fridays from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm to prevent attacks on the masses heading to mosques during this period in Baghdad. Chief of joint cooperation in the Iraqi Defense Ministry Major General Abdul-Aziz Mohammed told reporters that the curfew was imposed because Iraqi army was after armed groups in different parts of Baghdad. "The army intruded and solved the matter," he said, noting that the curfew was imposed to protect the masses heading to mosques for Friday's prayer from any attack. |