As suicide bomber kills 19, cabinet holds its first meeting
BAGHDAD: Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki vowed to use “maximum force against terrorism” on Sunday, as bombs killed at least 19 people in Baghdad during the first meeting of his national unity cabinet.
In a fresh reminder of the huge task Maliki faces in reining in bloodshed that has pushed Iraq to the brink of sectarian civil war, a string of blasts hit Baghdad, including one suicide bomber who killed at least 13 people and wounded 18 in a crowded restaurant popular with police. The tough-talking Shi’ite Islamist, briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting, said, however, that his government would hold out the offer of dialogue to insurgents who lay down weapons. He vowed to reimpose the state’s monopoly on the armed forces, cracking down on militias.
“Weapons should only be allowed in the hands of the government. Militias, death squads, terrorism, killings and assassinations are not normal and we should put an end to the militias.” In another incident, a car bomb killed three people and wounded 15 in Baghdad’s western mainly Shi’ite district. Earlier, a roadside bomb on the eastern bank of the Tigris killed three people and wounded 24 in a blast.
Besides dealing with Iraqis beset by communal violence and poor basic services, Maliki’s strongman approach to Iraq’s many woes has raised hopes in Washington that an improvement in security could pave the way for a withdrawal of US troops.
Maliki has cobbled together a cabinet of Shi’ites, minority Sunni Arabs and Kurds in the hope that a broad-based coalition will ease sectarian violence and consolidate a transition to democracy. But disputes over who would lead the key interior and defence ministries — in charge of police and the army — meant those two sensitive posts would be left vacant for now. Maliki said he hoped to fill the posts in two to three days.
Khalilzad, a key power broker behind the scenes, said the formation of the government, with crucial involvement from Saddam’s once dominant fellow Sunnis, brought 130,000 American troops suffering almost daily casualties closer to going home.
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