Allawi Reorganizes Forces to Fight Terror
Iraq’s interim prime minister announced a restructuring of the country’s security forces Sunday, grouping all Iraqi troops under a central command whose chief duty is tackling insurgents plaguing the country. Prime Minister Iyad Allawi also said his government was considering imposing “martial law” in Iraq’s trouble spots to help police and paramilitaries bring order. He made a plea for more international help in Iraq’s guerrilla war, asking outside countries to send troops and donate military hardware to bolster Iraq’s beleaguered forces. “Until our forces are fully capable we will continue to need support from our friends,” Allawi told reporters. Allawi has made security his top priority, with violence persisting as his government prepares to take sovereignty from Iraq’s American occupiers on June 30. On Sunday, a roadside bomb in Baghdad killed two Iraqi soldiers, and U.S. clashed with insurgents in the city of Samarra, north of the capital, where three days of fighting has killed 10 Iraqis. Full Story