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BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq announced Friday it has renewed its state of emergency for
another 30 days following two weeks of insurgent-led violence that killed hundreds
of people.
The emergency decree, which has been renewed monthly since first being imposed
Nov. 7, includes a nighttime curfew and gives the government extra powers to
make arrests without warrants and launch police and military operations when
it deems necessary.
The current 30-day period began May 3 and covers all of Iraq except for northern
Kurdish-run areas, interim Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's office said in
a statement. The statement provided no further details.
The state of emergency was first imposed hours before U.S. and Iraqi troops
launched a major offensive to drive insurgents out of Fallujah, west of Baghdad.
Al-Jaafari, who formed a new government late last month, said earlier this
week that he would impose martial law if insurgents continued their spree of
attacks.
Friday's announcement came as U.S. troops continued a major offensive in western
Iraq near the Syrian border in search for followers of the country's most wanted
militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
