US and Iraqi security forces have killed around 400 suspected militants since the start of a major crackdown to stem violence in Baghdad, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said today.
Mr Maliki visited the command centre for the operation which was launched 10 days ago and urged security forces taking part in it not to be influenced by sectarian loyalties. He told reporters 426 suspected militants had been detained in the crackdown "and around that number have been killed".
Mr Maliki, a Shia Islamist criticised for not doing enough to combat Shia militias, has vowed to deal even-handedly with both Shia and Sunni Muslims responsible for violence that had been killing hundreds every week.
A statement from his office said the prime minister reminded security forces to "respect the citizen" during searches.
"We will punish all those who ease up on searches involving people from their sect or ethnicity," the statement said.
"The prime minister pointed out the positive results that were produced in the last few days after a number of terrorist cells were broken up and many of their operations failed, as well as the return of hundreds of displaced families to their areas," the statement said.
This morning, Iraqi troops supported by US aircraft killed "tens" of militants and captured a senior leader of the insurgence at a base near Baghdad early today, the Interior Ministry said.
A Ministry spokesman said a large Iraqi force clashed with insurgents at the base in a rural area of Mashahda at dawn. US air strikes destroyed the base. He said Interior Ministry forces captured Saad Akram Khalifa, a leader of the Islamic Army in Iraq, one of Iraq's largest Sunni insurgent groups. The majority of its fighters are believed to be former members of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath party.
Washington has identified the Mehdi Army, a militia loyal to radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, as the greatest threat to security in Iraq. Sunni Arabs blame it for running death squads, a charge Sadr denies.