THE streets of the northern Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk were deserted yesterday as security forces conducted a house-to-house sweep and arrested at least 150 suspected insurgents. Authorities imposed an indefinite curfew on the city, which fell silent apart from the rumble of armored vehicles and the buzz of helicopters.Iraqi police and troops launched raids across the city, hunting insurgents and unlicensed weapons in a bid to end a wave of assassinations and bombings.
“So far 150 Iraqis have been arrested. They are suspects or wanted persons. The operation also led to the confiscation of 250 weapons and seven suspicious cars,” said Major General Shirko Shakr, commander of Kirkuk's police. “The operation is still on.”
Kirkuk security officials said the operation involved 14,000 police and soldiers from the 2nd Brigade of the 4th Iraqi Army Division. “These operations are the first of their kind in Kirkuk,” said Captain Emad Jassim Khidr. He said all vehicles and pedestrian traffic had been banned and shops closed during the open-ended curfew.
According to witnesses, the security forces' approach seemed to vary by what neighborhood they were searching or what unit was carrying out the search. In some places buildings were violently stormed while in others, police politely asked for permission to enter. Following each search, residents were given a piece of paper to verify the house had been inspected.
Roads into the city have been closed and in some cases sealed with newly dug trenches to cut down on rebel infiltration. “We are tightening security on these entrances and searching the incoming vehicles,” said Khidr.
The new lock-down tactic is one increasingly being used by coalition forces in troubled cities across Iraq, including Baghdad where trenches and barriers are being built to control access to the capital.
In some cases, whole towns or neighborhoods have been surrounded by massive earthen walls with limited guarded entrances in an effort to halt bombing campaigns by insurgents opposed to the US-backed coalition government.
US military involvement in the operation is minimal, said US officials, and largely restricted to air support and advisory role. “This was an activity planned and directed by the Iraqi government,” said US military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Barry Johnson. “As we are partnered with them in security operations, coalition forces are assisting the effort.”
The operation in Kirkuk came without warning at 6.00pm (1500 GMT) on Friday and angered many residents fearful at the impact on their businesses of the open-ended curfew.
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