Government defends use of curfew despite disruptions

The government is defending tough new security measures imposed on freedom of movement in four governorates, despite the move’s detrimental impact on the lives of residents. “This curfew is the only way to maintain control over who is moving around and prevent insurgents moving suicide cars on the streets,” said interior ministry spokesman general Adnan Abdul-Rahman. “The curfew will be lifted only when we’re sure that safety has been guaranteed.” A 20-hour a day extraordinary curfew was imposed on 23 February in the governorates of Diyala, Salaheddin and Babil, following an attack on a Shi’ite mosque in Samarra, some 125 km north of the capital, Baghdad. The curfew may be imposed for another week, according to officials. Despite the new security measures there were a number of mortar attacks in southern Baghdad on Sunday in which at least 16 Iraqis were reportedly killed. A further seven died in separate attacks across Iraq. Residents of the four affected governorates have from 16:00 until 20:00 every day to buy food, obtain medical assistance and do other daily chores. All schools and universities have been shut, as well as most government services. Students have no set date of return, which may take as long as a month, according to officials at the Ministry of Education. Some domestic and international flights have also been cancelled. While hospitals have been working normal hours, clinics are open only for four hours daily, while cars cannot move freely on the streets without special approval from the Ministry of Interior. Exceptions have been made for ambulances, police, government cars and journalists who have special identity cards issued by the ministry. “I have only four hours to buy what my family needs and visit my parents,” said father of four and Baghdad resident Mustafa Zubaid. “My children are without school and the traffic in the streets is very bad during this time. Sometimes you can’t finish essential daily requirements.” Private shops, too, are permitted to open only for the allotted four hours. “I depend on this small shop for my family to survive, and since the curfew began my income has decreased to nearly 85 percent of what it was before,” said Saleh Maruan, a shopkeeper in Mansour district. “Even during the war [in 2003] it wasn’t like this.” The ministry said that the curfew was an emergency procedure taken to prevent ongoing attacks that have led to the deaths of 174 people in the last five days as several mosques were targetted. The violence is believed to be retaliation by Shi’ite groups for an attack on the Askariya shrine in Samarra that caused the death of more than 105 Iraqis on 22 February. Reasons for the attack remain unknown and no insurgent group has claimed responsibility, but experts from the International Crisis Group think tank say it could be a sign of growing sectarianism. “Religious disputes started after the explosion at the mosque, and we were concerned that if emergency protective measures weren’t taken, a worse situation would have occurred – maybe even a civil war,” said Abdul-Rahman.