April 05, 2008	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 27, 1429

BAQUBA, April 4: A bomber detonated his explosive-filled vest in a crowd of people at a funeral in restive Iraqi province of Diyala on Friday, killing at least 20 people, local police officers said.

The chief of security operations in Diyala, Major General Abdul Karim al-Rubaiye, said 20 people were killed in the attack on the funeral of a policeman in the town of Al-Sadiyah, northeast of the provincial capital Baquba.

“At least 20 people were killed and many injured,” Rubaiye said.

Police Lieutenant Ahmed Ali said at least 23 people were wounded.

FREEZE ON RAIDS: Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Baghdad ordered his forces to halt random raids across Iraq on Friday, as crowds of spilled on to the streets to denounce him and demand that US troops quit their areas.

Maliki said he was allowing time to those wanting to surrender their weapons after fierce clashes between his security forces and militiamen last week.

“To give a chance to those who wish to lay down their arms, all raids and search operations will be stopped in all areas,” Maliki said in a statement released by his office.

The prime minister had earlier given residents of the second city of Basra an April 8 deadline to hand over heavy and medium weapons in return for cash in a bid to cut the supply of weapons to militiamen.

Reiterating a similar order issued earlier this week, Maliki, however, ordered his forces to “chase those who have returned to arms.” His statement came as aides of Moqtada al-Sadr accused the security forces of continuing to arrest members of the Mahdi Army, the radical Shiite cleric’s militia, in Basra and other Shiite areas of Iraq.

Crowds surged on to the streets after the Friday prayers in Sadr City, Kadhimiyah and Shuala — Mahdi Army strongholds in east Baghdad — as well as in Basra, correspondents said.

“No! No! to occupation. Yes! Yes! to Islam,” chanted the crowd in Sadr City, many of them carrying posters showing a caricature of Maliki bearing the words “Maliki is a puppet of Hakim.”

Sadr’s supporters accuse the premier of siding with rival Shiite politician Abdel Aziz al-Hakim in the battle for control of Basra — Iraq’s main oil hub — ahead of provincial elections in October.

Protestors in Sadr City also demanded the withdrawal of US forces from the sprawling shanty town of some two million people, which is still under curfew.

—AFP