BAGHDAD, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki pledged a new effort Saturday to crack down on sectarian violence in Baghdad and secure the capital's neighborhoods.
Maliki, speaking at a ceremony marking the 86th anniversary of the founding of the Iraqi army, said that Shiite militias would be targeted along with Sunni insurgents, The Washington Post reported.
The prime minister is a Shiite.
"The Baghdad security plan will not offer a safe shelter for outlaws regardless of their ethnic and political affiliations, and we will punish anyone who hesitates to implement orders because of his ethnic and political background," Maliki said.
Maliki did not go into details, Voice of America said. But he said the effort would proceed neighborhood by neighborhood, using Iraqi soldiers with help from U.S. and other coalition troops.
President Bush plans to detail his new Iraq strategy next week. Reports have suggested that he wants a "surge" or temporary increase in U.S. troop levels.
