November 6, 2011Iraqi PM says country still faces threats from insurgents
Baghdad, Iraq's prime minister is urging his security forces to step up their vigilance against violence, saying the country 'remains in the circle of danger.' Mr Nouri al-Maliki's comments on Sunday come as the last 33,000 United States (US) troops in Iraq prepare to leave by the end of the year as required by a 2008 security agreement.
Mr Al-Maliki said the continued threat shows that insurgents still want to prevent Iraq from becoming a stable nation. He did not elaborate.
But over the last several weeks his government has detained 615 people that Mr al-Maliki said are members of Iraq's former ruling Baath Party that was ousted from power in the 2003 US-led invasion.
Sunnis have accused Mr al-Maliki, who is Shi'ite, of cracking down on Baathists as an excuse to exert political pressure on them.
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