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Iraqi Prime Minister Creates New Security Force to Fight Terrorists - 2004-07-15


The prime minister of Iraq promised Thursday to "annihilate" terrorist groups operating in the country. The prime minister announced the creation of a new security force to do the job.

On a day that saw another deadly car bombing in Iraq, Prime Minister Iyad Allawi Thursday announced creation of a new intelligence security service that will deal specifically with the widespread insurgency in the country. During a news conference in Baghdad, the prime minister promised to put an end to terrorist groups in Iraq.

"We are determined to eliminate them by establishing a general intelligence unit called the General Security Directorate, GSD, that will annihilate those terrorist groups, God willing," he said.

Mr. Allawi said the interim government is seeing increasing coordination between groups linked to al-Qaida and loyalists to former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

In an effort to improve security, especially along Iraq's porous border, Mr. Allawi said he would soon travel to nearby Arab states including Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to discuss security issues.

In addition, the prime minister said he has requested that Bangladesh, India, Morocco and Pakistan send troops to Iraq to join coalition forces.

Earlier Thursday, there was another car bombing in the country. The blast occurred northwest of Baghdad in the city of Haditha. At least 10 people were killed and 30 injured. The target was the city's main police station. At least four of the dead were police officers. The station, a bank and several municipal buildings were heavily damaged.

The blast follows Wednesday's suicide car bombing near the heavily protected "green zone" in central Baghdad that also killed 10 Iraqis.

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