Al-Maliki vows use of force against Iraqis working against 'will of nation'

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has vowed to continue using force against Iraqis who defy the "will of the nation." But he also wants his military commanders to use an "iron fist" against troops who violate human rights. The Iraqi leader was speaking Monday in the southern city of Amarah, the site of an ongoing U.S.-backed military crackdown against Shi'ite militiamen there. It's the fourth such drive by government forces against Shiite and Sunni extremists after similar offensives in Basra, Baghdad's Sadr City and Mosul. Al-Maliki says he'll send the military to any place in which local security officials are "weak." He singled out the restive province of Diyala northeast of Baghdad as another possible target.