Iraqi Pm Dismisses Talk of Us Timeline

Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, under pressure from US and Britain as well as ordinary Iraqis to stem the rampant violence, today renewed his pledge to rein in militias and death squads.

"The state is the only one that has the right to carry weapons," he told a nationally televised news conference in Baghdad. "We will deal with anybody who is outside the law. Everyone now realises that the existence of armed groups and militias harms the stability and unity of the state."

But in a clear sign of irritation with statements this week by top American officials, he dismissed talk of US-imposed timelines for Iraqi security as having more to with the looming US midterm elections. "We are not much concerned with it," Mr Maliki said.

"I affirm that this government represents the will of the people and no one has the right to impose a timetable on it," he said.

The prime minister also voiced his displeasure at overnight raids by US and Iraqi forces in the Sadr City district of Baghdad, the stronghold of the radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose parliamentary supporters comprise a key bloc in Mr Maliki's ruling Shia alliance.

According to the interior ministry at least four people were killed and 18 injured in the fighting, which US army officials said was designed to capture a "top illegal armed group commander directing widespread death squad activity throughout eastern Baghdad."

But Mr Maliki, who is technically commander-in-chief of Iraq's army, said he had known nothing of the raid beforehand.

"We will review this issue with the multinational forces so that it will not be repeated," he said. "The Iraqi government should be aware and part of any military operation. Coordination is needed between Iraqi government and multinational forces."

Mr Maliki believes such raids are counter-productive. Last week he enlisted the support of Mr Sadr in cracking down on rogue elements among his supporters that appear to be operating beyond the young cleric's control.

Mr Sadr's powerful Mahdi militia is blamed for much of the recent anti-Sunni violence in the capital. It has also been involved in a series of destabilizing turf wars in towns in southern Iraq with the rival Badr militia, run by the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq, another pillar of the Shia alliance.

Yesterday, the US ambassador in Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, said the Mahdi fighters should be "brought under control".