Reply #17: 75,000 Forces to Be Deployed in Baghdad

[ECH1969]

Under an ambitious plan to bolster security in Baghdad, some 75,000 Iraqi and multinational forces will be deployed in the capital beginning Wednesday, a top Iraqi police official said. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki promised to show "no mercy" to terrorists and said the security plan would include a curfew and ban on weapons.

Facing unrelenting violence following the death of terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi last week, al-Maliki said the crackdown in Baghdad "will provide security and confront the terrorism and ... enable Iraqis to live in peace in Baghdad."

"The raids during this plan will be very tough ... because there will be no mercy toward those who show no mercy to our people," he said in a news release distributed Tuesday.

More than 200 raids have been carried out since al-Zarqawi's death on Wednesday, some directly connected to what the U.S. military has described as a "treasure trove" of intelligence gleaned from his safehouse.

http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2006/06/13/ap281168...