Iraqi PM orders daylight vehicle ban in Baghdad
Iraqi prime minister Nouri Maliki imposed a ban on all vehicle traffic today in Baghdad and the volatile Diyala province in an apparent effort to prevent reprisal attacks by suicide car bombers following the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
The ban will be in effect from 11am to 3pm (local time) today in Baghdad and from 8pm to 6am for three days in Diyala, said Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Adnan Abdul Rahman.
Al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, was killed in a massive US air strike on Wednesday near Baqouba, the provincial capital of Sunni-dominated Diyala, which has seen a recent rise in sectarian violence.
The ban in Baghdad fell during the times that most Iraqis go to mosques for Friday prayers.
Bombers have been known to target Shiite mosques during the religious services, and mortars hidden in vehicles have also been used to attack religious services.
Baqouba is 35 miles north-east of Baghdad.
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