Ministry ready to take over Baghdad’s security

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi security forces will be able to take over Baghdad’s security responsibilities from the U.S. military if a troop withdrawal is made, the director of the Interior Ministry’s national operations center said on Wednesday. “The Interior Ministry is truly capable of assuming Baghdad’s security responsibilities. Car bombs, improvised explosive device blasts and criminal operations do not at all indicate failure on the part of the (Iraqi) security forces,” according to a ministerial statement received by IraqiNews.com, quoting Staff Maj. Gen. Abdelkareem Khalaf, as saying. “Prompt security measures have been taken to prevent similar operations in the city,” Khalaf noted. “Having an area of 86 square kilometers, it is impossible to cover the whole capital. Some criminals intend to detonate car bombs in unimportant and non-vital areas,” Khalaf added. Baghdad is the capital of Iraq and Baghdad province. With a municipal population estimated at 7,000,000, it is the largest city in Iraq. It is the second largest city in the Arab world (after Cairo) and the second largest city in southwest Asia (after Tehran). Located on the Tigris River, the city dates back to at least the 8 th century, and probably to pre-Islamic times. Once the center of Dar al-Islam (the abode of Islam), Baghdad has been a center of violent conflict since 2003 because of the ongoing Iraq war. Baghdad’s population is a mix of Sunnis and Shiites. It is mainly divided into two sides: the west (al-Karkh) and the east (al-Rasafa). SS (S) 1