Iraq’s prime minister declared a state of emergency in once peaceful and oil-rich Basra, as the sectarian and militia violence engulfing the country’s capital spread to its southern economic heartland.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki today promised to crack down on sectarian gangs in Basra and declared a month-long state of emergency in the southern city amid increasing violence in the restive region.

Gunmen lined up 14 employees working at an electronics trading company in Baghdad this morning and shot them all, killing eight and wounding six, police said.

Eight Iraqi sailors detained by Iran after a weekend clash in a shared waterway were released early today, Iraqi officials said, but the body of a ninth sailor had not yet been repatriated.

Iraq has asked the UN Security Council to condemn the recent spate of bombings and attacks.