Iraq security forces 'dismantle Ramadi protest camp'

BBC News

Iraqi security forces have moved to dismantle an anti-government protest camp in the western city of Ramadi.

A defence ministry spokesman said local Sunni tribal leaders and clerics had agreed to end the sit-in peacefully.

But the AFP news agency reported that clashes had erupted in an adjoining area after police moved in and that at least one person had been killed.

Sunni Arabs have been calling for the resignation of Shia Prime Minister Nouri Maliki for more than a year.

They accuse his government of discriminating against their minority community and unfairly targeting it with tough anti-terrorism measures implemented in an effort to stem the surge in sectarian violence.

The UN says more than 7,150 civilians and 950 security forces personnel have been killed since January, the highest annual toll since 2008.

'Al-Qaeda headquarters'

The protest camp in Ramadi, a predominantly Sunni city some 115km (70 miles) west of Baghdad, is located along the motorway to Jordan.

Defence ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari told state TV that on Sunday evening Sunni leaders had agreed to end the months-long sit-in.

Mr Askari said there was no violence during Monday's police action.

However, an AFP journalist reported seeing the body of one person and said 10 others had been wounded in an area that adjoins the protest site.

Security forces and helicopters could be seen firing into the area, while some mosques were using loudspeakers to exhort people to "go to jihad", the journalist added.

The move by the authorities came after Mr Maliki claimed that the protest camp had "turned into a headquarters for the leadership of al-Qaeda".

He also warned "those who are with them in this place who refuse sabotage and who have legal or illegal demands" that they had a "very short period" to leave.

Tensions in the city were raised on Saturday when security forces raided the home of a local Sunni Arab MP, Ahmed al-Alwani, triggering clashes in which his brother, five guards and two troops were killed.

Mr Alwani, who was arrested on terrorism charges, has been prominent among the organisers of the Sunni anti-government protests.

In April, a raid by security forces on a similar protest camp in the northern town of Hawija left 44 civilians and one policeman dead.

Extremist Sunni militants linked to al-Qaeda subsequently stepped up attacks across the country, while Shia groups began deadly reprisals.