Iraq military cracks down on militias, arms smuggling
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Iraq has launched a military crackdown on smuggling gangs, al-Qaeda militants and Shiite militias responsible for recent attacks on US forces, security officials said on Sunday.
Triggered in part by a spate of attacks on US forces last month, the crackdown aims to staunch the flow of illegal weapons into mainly Shiite southern Iraq from Shiite neighbour Iran. In one of the largest offensives, about 3,000 Iraqi troops and police were mobilized against militias and smugglers in southern Maysan province, a provincial official said. (Reuters)
