Iraq PM (Bush puppet) declares state of emergency in oil-rich Basra

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/international/ticker/detail/Iraq_PM_declares_state_of_emergency_in_Basra.html?siteSect=143&sid=6767097&cKey=1149082828000

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Wednesday declared a state of emergency for a month in oil-rich Basra which is in the grip of a power struggle among Shi'ite factions.

"We hope after this month that we will come back to Basra and see that the situation has improved a lot," Maliki told reporters in Iraq's second city after announcing the measure.

Security forces will be deployed in the streets of Basra day and night and they will also conduct search operations, a government source told Reuters, giving more details.

Maliki, who was heading a high-level government delegation to Basra to restore security, earlier vowed to crack down with an "iron fist" on gangs threatening security in the southern city.