IRAQ'S new prime minister declared a one-month state of emergency in the city of Basra today, vowing to strike with an "iron fist" against gangs and feuding Shiite factions threatening vital oil exports.
The move to order the army onto the streets of Iraq's second city signalled Nuri al-Maliki's determination to deliver on his pledge to restore stability in strife-torn Iraq, 11 days after his government of national unity was sworn in.
"We hope after this month that we will come back to Basra and see that the situation has improved a lot," he told reporters after his announcement in the southern city.
Four mortar bombs that police sources said killed at least nine people on the southern edge of Baghdad served as a reminder of the security crisis he also faces in the rest of the country.
In Washington, President George W. Bush said those involved would be punished if an investigation turns up evidence of wrongdoing by US Marines in the killings of civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha last year.
Residents of Haditha, 200km northwest of Baghdad in an area that has seen much activity by Sunni Arab insurgents, have told Reuters that US Marines attacked houses after their patrol was hit by a roadside bomb.
"I am troubled by the initial news stories," Mr Bush said. "I am mindful there is a thorough investigation going on. If in fact laws were broken there will be punishment."
US defence officials have said charges including murder may be brought against Marines following a US investigation into the 24 civilian deaths in Haditha.
The November 19 deaths have led to comparisons to the 1968 killing of unarmed civilians by US troops in the village of My Lai during the Vietnam War.
The United States and Britain, the two main allies in the 2003 invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, hope Mr Maliki can tackle widespread guerrilla and sectarian violence that threatens to tear Iraq apart so that they can eventually withdraw.
The two countries have a total of 140,000 troops in Iraq.
There is little sign of any let-up in the cycle of killings and revenge attacks, with a spate of bombings claiming at least 100 lives this week, mainly in Baghdad.
Police said they had found 42 bodies over the last 24 hours in different parts of the capital - bound, tortured and shot.
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