Tight security measures, vehicle ban in Thi-Qar

THI-QAR / IraqiNews.com: A ban will be imposed on vehicles all over Thi-Qar as part of tight security measures to protect the course of the local voting process on Saturday while Iraq’s Independent Higher Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced the start of electoral silence and removal of all electoral banners and stickers, a police official in the province said on Friday. “The ban will be imposed all over Thi-Qar as of 10:00 p.m. today (Jan. 30) until Saturday (Jan. 31),” Brig. Rasoul Khayoun al-Jabiri, the province’s police assistant chief, told IraqiNews.com news agency. Provincial council elections are scheduled to be held in 14 Iraqi provinces on Saturday (Jan. 31). Thi-Qar lies 380 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. AmR (P) 2