Iraqi PM urges calm over hostages

A number of Shia families have fled Madain in recent days

The Iraqi prime minister has called on Shia Muslims and other religious groups to stay calm in the face of what appears to be a mass hostage-taking.

Iyad Allawi described the reported seizure of Shia civilians by Sunni militants in Madain, a town near Baghdad, as a "dirty atrocity".

Security forces have ringed off the town and reports say an operation has begun to free the captives.

Estimates of the number of people being held vary from scores to a handful.

We have warned repeatedly that sectarian cleansing was going in this area but the security forces took no action Jala Aldin al-Saghir Shia MP

Iraqi officials say the militants have called on Shias to leave the town, and a local mosque has been destroyed.

However, the exact situation remains unclear.

Under pressure to restore control, the interim government has sent three battalions of Iraqi special forces to the town, backed by US troops

While some reports say the troops have merely surrounded the town, others speak of searches inside Madain, about 30km (19 miles) from the capital.

AFP news agency quoted one unnamed defence official as saying militants were putting up "severe resistance".

'Sectarian cleansing'

Mr Allawi, Iraq's outgoing interim prime minister, called on both Shia and Sunni Muslims to ignore the actions of extremists which, he said, threatened "Iraqis' unity and dignity".

Iraqi troops are reportedly leading the operation at Madain

"I call for all political and religious entities to ask for calming down..." he said in a statement.

"Unfortunately, evil powers are trying to disturb the peace of our country, stop progress, destroy Iraq, keep killing innocent civilians and planning for the start of ethnic, sectarian and religious division."

At a meeting of Iraq's new parliament on Sunday, one Shia MP said "sectarian cleansing" had been taking place in Madain.

"We have warned repeatedly that sectarian cleansing was going in this area but the security forces took no action," said Jala Aldin al-Saghir.

Violent area

Trouble erupted in Madain on Thursday when Sunni militants damaged an empty Shia mosque by detonating explosives inside, Shia clergyman Haitham Husseini told the Associated Press news agency.

According to Mr Husseini, "about 100" masked militants arrived in cars on Friday to seize hostages and call over loudspeakers for Shia Muslims to leave.

One resident, Abbas Mahmoud, told AFP he had fled in fear of his life.

A Shia MP, Abdul Kareem al-Mahamadawi, said Islamists and militants loyal to ousted leader Saddam Hussein had long been active in the area.

He said checkpoints manned by Iraqi and US troops were ineffective.

"It's like chasing flies," the MP added.