Iraqi delegation visits Tehran over its alleged support to the insurgency inside Iraq; Turkish Army claims it killed 150 PKK rebels; Maliki: Special Forces deployed inside Sadr City to root out militias
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  • A delegation from the United Iraqi Alliance, the ruling bloc to which Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki belongs, visited Tehran during the week to bring pressure on the Iranian government to stop aiding the Shiite militia. Maj. Gen. Qassim Moussawi, Iraqi security spokesman in Baghdad also revealed that Iraqi forces had seized Iranian-made missiles and heavy weapons during the past four weeks in the capital1. The US military has long accused Tehran of supporting the insurgency inside Iraq. On the prospects of a fourth round of talks with the US over the situation in Iraq, Tehran asserted that there would be no talks until US attacks on ‘defenceless Iraqis’ did not stop2.

    The Turkish Air Fore resumed its attacks against the PKK rebels inside northern Iraq during the week. The Turkish General Staff claimed that over 150 rebels have been killed in the raids directed against PKK camps in the Qandil area3. Reports noted that over 30 fighter aircraft took part in the raids. Turkey had earlier sent over 10,000 soldiers into Iraq in February.

    In domestic developments, Prime Minister Maliki revealed that Special Forces have been deployed inside Sadr City to root out the militias operating there. Maliki reiterated that the siege of the area, launched jointly with American forces, would only be lifted if the militias handed over their weapons4. In continuing incidents of violence, US forces killed nearly 30 militants on April 28 in Baghdad and over 25 civilians were killed in Baghdad as well as in the southern city of Hillah in separate incidents during the week. Over 35 people were also killed in a town in Diyala province on May 1 in 2 suicide attacks.

    In other developments, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction released an audit report on April 27 which revealed that over 850 contracts worth millions of dollars were cancelled by the US authorities before their completion due to excessive delays, poor performance or other factors. The authorities had reviewed over 47,000 reconstruction projects5.

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