Baghdad, Jan 30: Iraqi police imposed a curfew on Friday in the northern city of Mosul, banning vehicles and barring its residents from leaving their homes until they go to cast their ballot in this weekend`s provincial elections, an Iraqi police official said.
It was the first step in a series of blanket security measures scheduled to take effect in advance of the elections, which included closing Iraq`s international borders, ordering traffic bans across Baghdad and major cities and halting air traffic. Hundreds of women, including teachers and civic workers, have been recruited to help search women voters after a rise in female suicide bombers last year.
More than 14,400 candidates are competing for 440 seats in 14 of the country`s 18 provinces.
Mosul`s city borders were closed today morning to vehicles and a citywide curfew was scheduled to take effect several hours later, said Police officer Col Safaa Abdul-Razzaq, spokesman for the joint operations command in the Ninevah province.
Abdul-Razzaq said the curfew was imposed to curb any potential violence during voting in Iraq`s third largest city. The vehicle ban is in place in Mosul until Sunday.
While Baghdad and other cities in Iraq have enjoyed substantial security gains, Iraq and US forces continue to battle al Qaeda and other insurgents in Mosul.
The multiethnic city has been one of the hardest to tame after insurgents fled to the area following US-Iraq security crackdowns elsewhere.
Tensions rose ahead of the elections as Kurdish and mainly Sunni parties jockeyed for power.
Bureau Report
