Maliki vowed to Continue Hunting Terrorists

BAGHDAD ,(ST)_Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki stressed operations of the Iraqi army will continue hunting terrorist groups relentlessly to protect the people from murder, crime and terrorism, renewing confidence in the ability of the Iraqis to face all challenges through national unity, steadfastness and the common solid will.

Maliki called in a speech yesterday all who planned the series of acts of sabotage in Iraq to “withdraw their black hands and fingers and let the Iraqis complete the process of, construction and services,” stressing that the Iraqi government “will not give up  construction a modern Iraqi state based on national identity, mutual respect and abidance to the constitution. “

Maliki noted the role played by the Iraqi security in exterminating terrorism, saying that the operations of the Iraqi army proved that “terrorists are cowards and can not face the security forces so they resort to detonate booby-trapped cars in squares against innocent men, women and children. “

He thanked the Iraqi political forces that supported the armed forces in the recent operations, noting “a group of political forces who have sold themselves to the devil and foreign powers that do not want Iraq to maintain development and reconstruction.”

“There are Western and Arab forces that do not want peace and stability in Iraq ,”Maliki added, , stressing the need for a will in some Arab and neighboring countries of Iraq to search for positive relations and common interests and non-interference in the internal affairs in order to build positive friendship and cooperation relations.

News Reports also quoted the Iraqi prime minister as he promised Wednesday that security forces would continue targeting and arresting insurgents in response to the recent wave of deadly attacks, as violence killed 11 people across the country.

In a statement posted on his official website, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said that 800 militants were arrested and dozens others were killed during the continuing security operation by Iraqi forces. “We will never give up confronting terrorism and the operations we started to hit the terrorists and their camps will continue,” al-Maliki said.

Meantime ,in attacks Wednesday, police said a bomb exploded inside a cafe in Baqouba, 60 Km northeast of Baghdad, killing 10 people and wounding 16 others.

Terrorists frequently attack crowded, soft civilian targets such as cafes, mosques and markets in order to kill as many people as possible. More than 3,000 people have been killed in violence during the past few months.

T. Fateh