Curfew relaxed in capital

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The curfew imposed on the Iraqi capital Baghdad has been reduced to 05:00 p.m. today in accordance with a decree by the prime minister, a spokesperson for Baghdad’s Operation Command (BOC) said. “The prime minister has ordered that the curfew imposed on Baghdad be reduced to 05:00 p.m. today,” Maj. Gen. Qassem Ata told IraqiNews.com news agency. A curfew has been declared in the Iraqi capital, as well as a number of Iraqi provinces, as of 10:00 p.m. yesterday (Jan. 30), with security forces blocking all border outlets with neighboring countries and stopping all flights. The curfew was scheduled to last until the early hours of Sunday (Feb. 1) morning. Voters have been heading to polling stations in Baghdad and 13 other Iraqi provinces since 07:00 a.m. Saturday to elect their representatives in the country’s provincial councils amidst tight security measures. Over 15 million voters from 14 out of Iraq’s 18 provinces will participate in this election, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC). Security personnel, prisoners sentenced to less than five years and hospital inmates cast their votes in the special voting, held on Wednesday (Jan. 28). SS (P) 1