Baghdad nightly curfew ends

A curfew imposed in 2004 in Baghdad will end this weekend, under orders from Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

The premier also unblocked many streets long cut off for security reasons, and declared two Baghdad neighborhoods as demilitarized zones.

"The prime minister ordered that the curfew in the city of Baghdad be completely lifted starting from this Saturday," said Brigadier General Saad Maan, spokesman for the Baghdad Operations Command.

Al-Abadi wants there "to be normal life as much as possible, despite the existence of a state of war," said the prime minister's spokesman Rafid Jaboori, in reference to the battle against the militant "Islamic State" ("IS") group.

An offensive from the jihadists overran large areas north and west of Baghdad last year, as well as parts of neighboring Syria. Iraqi forces are battling to regain ground, assisted by Shiite fighters, Sunni tribesmen and a US-led coalition conducting air strikes. Forces in northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region are also making gains against the IS.

Al-Abadi's statement did not elaborate on what the plan for the two demilitarized neighborhoods - the mainly Sunni Adhamiyah and the Shiite Kadhimiyah - would be.

The hours of the curfew have varied over the years, but at the moment the curfew lasts from midnight until 5 a.m. It was imposed in 2004, after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein a year earlier.

Limiting movement at night has largely failed to stop violence and regular bombings in Baghdad. There are near-daily attacks in the city by militants, including suicide and car bombings.

The curfew restricted the daily lives of ordinary people and has been a major source of irritation for many Iraqis. "Thank God this decision has happened," Ayman Hassan, a culture ministry employee, told news agency AFP.

jr/kms (AP, AFP)