Iraq extends state of emergency for another month
May 13, 2005

By Associated Press:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) Iraq announced Friday it has renewed its state of emergency for another 30 days following two weeks of insurgent-led violence that killed hundreds of people.

The emergency decree, which has been renewed monthly since first being imposed Nov. 7, includes a nighttime curfew and gives the government extra powers to make arrests without warrants and launch police and military operations when it deems necessary.

The current 30-day period began May 3 and covers all of Iraq except for northern Kurdish-run areas, interim Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's office said in a statement. The statement provided no further details.

The state of emergency was first imposed hours before U.S. and Iraqi troops launched a major offensive to drive insurgents out of Fallujah, west of Baghdad.

Al-Jaafari, who formed a new government late last month, said earlier this week that he would impose martial law if insurgents continued their spree of attacks.

Friday's announcement came as U.S. troops continued a major offensive in western Iraq near the Syrian border in search for followers of the country's most wanted militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

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