By Mohammed Abbas BAGHDAD, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Improved security in Baghdad has pulled Iraq back from the brink of all-out civil war but security forces must not relax in the battle against threats such as al Qaeda, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Friday. "We must keep our fingers on the trigger. The fight for victory must continue," he said of an operation to drive militia groups, suicide bombers and sectarian death squads from Baghdad. Maliki launched Operation Imposing Law in Baghdad on Feb. 14 last year in what was regarded as a last-ditch effort to rein in violence between armed groups representing majority Shi'ites and minority Sunni Arabs, who were dominant under Saddam Hussein. "I ask all of you to remember where we were a year ago and where we have come today, and this is the response to all those who gave up, saying that Iraq has ended in sectarian civil war," Maliki told senior military staff in Baghdad. The operation was followed by wider offensives by U.S. and Iraqi forces across Iraq, involving 30,000 extra U.S. soldiers. Maliki thanked the U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces for their efforts and sacrifices. "I praise the souls of those martyrs, the security forces and civilians who have fallen at the hands of terrorists, al Qaeda, the militias, outlaws and organised gangs," he said. Attacks across Iraq have fallen by 60 percent since last June, on the back of these security operations, a decision by Sunni Arab tribal sheikhs to turn against al Qaeda and a six-month ceasefire by Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi army militia. In a reminder of how fragile these gains are, four people were killed and 16 wounded in the northern town of Tal Afar when two suicide bombers with explosive vests blew themselves up at the entrance to a Shi'ite mosque during Friday prayers. OUSTED FROM STRONGHOLDS Al Qaeda, blamed for most large-scale bombings, regrouped in northern Iraq after being ousted from strongholds in western Anbar province and from around Baghdad last year. U.S. commanders say it still represents the greatest threat to peace. While attacks in Iraq have declined, movement towards political reconciliation between Iraq's various ethnic and sectarian groups, which the United States regards as crucial for Iraq's long-term stability, has been slower. It received a boost on Wednesday, however, when Iraqi lawmakers achieved several major breakthroughs, passing the 2008 budget after weeks of delay and an amnesty law that could lead to the release of thousands of prisoners from Iraqi jails. Parliament also passed a provincial powers law defining relations between Baghdad and local authorities. It allows for holding provincial elections by Oct. 1 in which Sunni Arabs who boycotted previous polls could win some local power. Maliki said the security gains had allowed more breathing space for Iraq's political healing process. "Your success on the ground sends a strong signal to politicians to unite, work on the political process and rebuild Iraq," he said. The U.S. military is slowly pulling out the troops brought in for the "surge" that led to the security improvements. About 20,000 troops are due to leave by July, taking U.S. strength down to about 130,000 soldiers. General Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, told Reuters this week there should be a pause before there was any further reduction in American firepower in case that jeopardised the security gains. Troop levels in Iraq are a big U.S. political issue in a presidential election year. The leading Democratic candidates want a speedy withdrawal, while Republicans say U.S. commanders should decide when to pull out. (Additional reporting by Aws Qusay; Writing by Tim Cocks; editing by Michael Holden)
Activist Bianca Jagger speaks to media in Downing Street after delivering a letter to Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, in central London February 15, 2008. Jagger and other activists including Former ...
