Militia given deadline for surrender by Maliki

CNN:

Iraq's prime minister Wednesday gave Shiite militants battling security forces in Basra a 72-hour deadline to surrender as the death toll from two days of fighting that threatens to undo efforts to stabilize Iraq neared 50.

Nuri al-Maliki gave the ultimatum a day after clashes erupted in the southern oil port city and Baghdad between Iraqi and U.S. security forces and fighters aligned with the Mehdi Army -- the militia of hard-line Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

The fighting has killed 40 to 50 people in Basra, 18 others in Baghdad and left scores injured. Officials say the dead in Basra includes Iraqi troops, police, civilians and militiamen.

Al-Maliki is said to be personally overseeing efforts to restore order in Basra, highlighting the significance of the conflict.

Fresh firefights broke out Wednersday between "outlaws" and Iraqi security forces, according to an Interior Ministry official, who reported ongoing military operations in five neighborhoods.

Images froms the city show black-masked gunmen targeting their weapons from makeshift vantage points within the city.

Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, spokesman for the U.S. military, told reporters that the fighting has been "difficult and challenging," as Iraqi and U.S. forces skirmish in bastions of support for al-Sadr.

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I think the government decided to pick this fight because al Qaeda has been largely defeated and the militias are the last obstacle to the governments control of security in the country. The recent attacks in the Green Zone have been attempts by the militia to distract from the attacks in areas where they are losing control. With the size of the force committed the government should be able to assert itself in Basra and protect the people from the lawless militia units.