Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said yesterday that he was more confident than ever of defeating al-Qaeda and its terrorist allies — a day after a wave of attacks left more than 60 people dead.
“We are determined to defeat terrorism,” the Iraqi leader told the European parliament’s foreign affairs committee during a visit to Brussels.
“We are more confident than ever that we are close to a definitive victory over al-Qaeda and its lawless allies,” he said.
Maliki said the jihadist movement was in a state of “total isolation” in Iraq and was seeking “refuge beyond the borders” in neighboring nations, which he urged to do everything possible to stop them from infiltrating.
Meanwhile, clashes between security forces and Shiite militiamen in the Iraqi capital’s war-torn Sadr City district killed two people and injured 18, police said yesterday.
The British military also reported that warplanes attacked gunmen in the southern port city of Basra early yesterday. The airstrike killed four militants and wounded one, spokesman MajorTom Holloway said.
In Sadr City, a police officer said those injured in gunbattles on Tuesday included three women and three children. Sadr City is a stronghold of the Mehdi Army militia of anti-US cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said sporadic shooting was still going on and it was too dangerous to venture out on the streets.
The bloodshed in the capital and in Basra came a day after more than 60 people died in a series of bombings in four cities in northern and central Iraq.
The bombings struck directly at US claims that the Sunni insurgency was waning and being replaced by Shiite militia violence as a major threat.
The deadliest blasts took place in Baqubah and Ramadi, two cities where the US military has claimed varying degrees of success in getting Sunnis to turn against al-Qaeda.
It was the deadliest series of bombings in Iraq since March 6, when a twin bombing killed 68 people in a crowded shopping district in the central Baghdad district of Karradah.
When Shanghai-based designer Guo Qingshan posted a vacation photo on Valentine’s Day and captioned it “Puppy Mountain,” it became a sensation in China and even created a tourist destination. Guo had gone on a hike while visiting his hometown of Yichang in central China’s Hubei Province late last month. When reviewing the photographs, he saw something he had not noticed before: A mountain shaped like a dog’s head rested on the ground next to the Yangtze River, its snout perched at the water’s edge. “It was so magical and cute. I was so excited and happy when I discovered it,” Guo said.
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