Iraqi state television announces curfew will be lifted
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Iraqi authorities say a citywide curfew aimed at stopping Shiite militia violence will be lifted on Monday morning.
The office of Baghdad's chief military spokesman says the round-the-clock curfew will end at 6 am but a vehicle ban will stay in place in three Shiite militia strongholds in the capital. Those neighborhoods are Sadr City, Kazimiyah and Shula.
The move comes three days after government officials ordered unauthorized vehicles and pedestrians off the streets as tensions escalated.
The group's leader, cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, says he is willing to pull fighters off the streets nationwide and is calling on the government to stop raids against his followers.