Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
Voice of America is funded by the US Federal Government and content it
exclusively produces is in the public domain.
August 6, 2009

Iraq to Remove Baghdad Blast Walls
----------------------------------

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=25CB99B:A6F02AD83191E16005B0145C05CB61EE30EB2FA2E66CBB22&
 
Move comes after US combat troops withdrew from Iraqi cities June 30,
giving local authorities greater responsibility for security in capital,
other urban centers 
Iraqi police working alongside U.S. military advisors have arrested a
suspected terrorist commander in southern Iraq. A
U.S. military statement says the suspect was detained during an
Iraqi-led raid on Wednesday. The suspect is allegedly responsible for
explosions and indirect fire attacks in the area. Men walking past a
blast wall in central Baghdad (2004 file photo)Meanwhile,
Iraqi officials said the concrete security barriers that have lined the
streets of Baghdad since the U.S.-led 2003 invasion will soon come down.
Government sources said Wednesday the blast walls, designed to thwart
attacks, will be removed within 40 days. The
move comes after U.S. combat troops withdrew from Iraqi cities on June
30, giving local authorities greater responsibility for security in the
capital and other urban centers. Violence in Iraq has dropped sharply
during the past year, but a recent series of deadly attacks points to a
continued threat. In
violence Wednesday, police in the northern city of Mosul say three
gunmen opened fire on a security checkpoint, killing a police officer.
Two of the attackers were killed when police returned fire. A car bomb
in Ramadi, west of Baghdad, left one woman dead and wounded three other
people.


.