A state of alert in Iraq

The rough security measures taken by the Iraqi government resulted in evacuating the streets in cities and highways in various parts of Iraq on the wake of the referendum on the constitutions which the gunmen vowed to obstruct.

The Iraqi officials transported the referendum cards to the voting centers but most of the shops were closed and the traffic movement was weak.

The Iraqi authorities tightened its measures and closed the borders and intensified the police and the army patrols on the hope of foiling the attempts of the gunmen who threatened to launch attacks to obstruct the referendum.

However, these measures did not prevent the occurrence of more attacks in various parts of Iraq including the blowing up of a booby trapped car in front of a restaurant located near a headquarters for the Kurdistani Democratic Party led by Masoud al-Barazani and this resulted in injuring five persons seriously and the destruction of the restaurant.

In Baqouba in the northeast of Baghdad, four members of the Iraqi police were killed while other three were injured in a bomb explosions targeted their vehicle east of the city.

A source in the Iraqi ministry of defense announced the detention of more than 30 suspects in the villages surrounding al-Khales district north of Baqouba. The Iraqi police detained more than 15 gunmen as they were preparing for attacks at the referendum centers in al-Musil city.

In the capital Baghdad, four civilians were injured when one bomb went off on the roadside targeting one American vehicle in al-Baya quarters in Baghdad.

In southern Iraq, one vehicle for the Italian forces was exposed to an attack by missiles and bombs but no casualties were reported.

In Karbala three Iraqi soldiers were killed in a fire exchange with the policemen following misunderstanding over the security measures taken to protect the referendum centers on the constitution.