Iraq Press Roundup

Al Adada newspaper reported Thursday that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said terrorist organizations had become imbalanced after losing their hideouts and havens because Iraqis were not afraid anymore to cooperate with security forces.

In comments made during a visit to the Anti-terrorism Department, he said terrorism "has been targeting the entire region."

He said Iraq would become "an expert" in fighting terrorism because Iraqis now have been facing all kinds of terrorist actions: car bombs, trucks and motorcycle explosions, improvised-explosive devices and militia activities.

"In the future, we will be able to help whoever needs it,” he said.

In a story headlined “Recruiting Kirkuk tribesmen to fight al-Qaida,” Al Mada reported that the first group prepared to fight al-Qaida and others completed its training.

"We did this as encouragement for national reconciliation,” said the group’s supervisor. “We did it without any support from the government."

He told the paper that a week ago they asked former officers and soldiers to participate in training recruits.

"We discussed it with the Americans and they welcomed the idea," he said.

The paper also said that the group includes 200 tribesmen who formed a battalion using their own weapons and support from U.S. forces.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s Al Itihad newspaper reported on violence across the country.

It said 12 bodies were found, many terrorists killed and others arrested.

In details, the report said Iraqi troops backed by U.S. forces arrested two snipers north of Kirkuk. The paper quoted a security source as saying the two were involved in civilian assassinations. The source also told the paper that raids in Kirkuk Wednesday led to the arrest of four people who owned weapons without licenses.

Police sources told the paper Iraqi forces backed by U.S. troops killed three terrorists and arrested eight others in a security operation near Fallujah.