Maliki wins in basra and baghdad

Iraqi Security Forces Kill 210 Mahdi Army Fighters, Wound 600, Capture 155 In Basra Voice of Iraq News Baghdad, Mar 31– Some 210 gunmen were killed, 600 others wounded and 155 captured since the beginning of Operation Saulat al-Forsan (Knights’ Assault) in the province of Basra last week, the Iraqi interior ministry said on Monday. “The Iraqi security agencies killed 210 gunmen, including 42 dangerous criminals, while 600 others were wounded and 155 captured since the commencement of a military campaign in Basra,” Maj. General Abdul-Kareem Khalaf, the ministry’s National Command Center chief, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq. Basra, Iraq’s second largest city and oil hub, 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, had witnessed immense security unrest a few hours after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced a plan to impose order in the province. Fierce battles occurred between security forces and armed groups believed to belong to Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army militias. “Security agencies seized a large amount of weapons including developed explosive charges, and dismantled three car bombs and 80 improvised explosive devices (IEDs),” said Khalaf.