On Monday the police joined forces with units from the Iraqi army and closed main streets in the city leading to heavy traffic jams.
Many civil servants could not reach their offices and students missed classes as a result.
Eyewitnesses said the city came to a standstill most of the day.
Security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the deployment was part of “a security campaign” to return normal life to the city.
They said the authorities wanted to cordon off armed groups and put an end to violence.
Several such campaigns were conducted in the past but all have failed to contain violence.
A roadside bomb on Monday killed three policemen and injured several others in the city’s industrial district where rebels have the upper hand.
Mohammed, the police boss, said there would be no let-up in the struggle “against terrorists and unruly gunmen.”
Speaking at the police academy during a graduation ceremony, he said his forces will press ahead with their campaign until they have the city under control.
“The troops will continue searching houses, moving from one street to another,” he said.
He added: “We say to these criminals that you have no place among us and the time to impose law and order has come.”(Source)Azzaman
