BAGHDAD, Iraq, Sept. 5 - The Iraqi Parliament voted today to extend by a month a state of emergency across the country that allows the government broad powers to combat the raging insurgency, including declaring curfews, detaining suspects and conducting cordon-and-search operations.
The state of emergency has been extended several times since it was first imposed by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi in 2004. There has been no serious move to roll it back.
The Iraqi government has been liberal in its use of the powers. For example, it has imposed a curfew every Friday afternoon since June in some cities to try to curb violence at mosques on the day of prayer. Last month, it banned vehicle traffic in Baghdad for nearly three days to foil attacks during a Shiite pilgrimage holiday.
The Parliament held its vote during its first meeting since taking a recess in August.
Despite the affirmation of the government’s emergency powers, violence continued to roil Iraq. The American military announced today that two Marines and a sailor were killed on Monday “due to enemy action” in Anbar Province, the fiery desert region of western Iraq that is home to the Sunni-led insurgency. At least 2,656 American troops have died since the invasion of 2003, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, a Web site that tracks deaths and casualties.
The pace of deaths at the start of September has quickened compared to that of the summer months. At least 14 American troops and two British troops have died in the first five days of this month, according to the Web site. At least 63 American and foreign troops died in June, 46 in July and 66 in August.
The toll of Iraqi civilians has been much higher, with nearly 3,500 killed in July alone. Murders of Iraqis continued today. The worst incident took place in Baquba, the volatile capital of Diyala Province, where gunmen killed 11 people, including three policemen, and wounded 22 others in several attacks, police officials said.
In Baghdad, gunmen killed three pilgrims in the neighborhood of Dora as the pilgrims were on their way to the southern Shiite city of Karbala, an Interior Ministry official said. Violence in Dora has dropped since American and Iraqi forces swept the area in early August, but incidents continue to plague the neighborhood and residents still live in fear.
The police discovered seven bodies in two separate locations in Baghdad.
Clashes between gunmen and police erupted in western Mosul, resulting in the death of a gunman and the wounding of two policemen.
The Islamic Army in Iraq, an insurgent group founded by former Baath Party members, issued an Internet statement saying it had not entered into any negotiations with the Iraqi government, contrary to rumors and some news media reports, according to the SITE Institute, a Washington group that tracks jihadist messages.
American and Iraqi forces detained 30 confirmed insurgents and 38 suspected insurgents over the weekend throughout western Anbar Province, the American military said. The biggest series of arrests took place in the towns of Haditha, Barwanah and Haqlaniyah, where Marines and Iraqi forces captured 27 known insurgents and four suspected insurgents, the military said.