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.

Two Iraqi journalists were found dead south of Baghdad today a day after they were stopped by men wearing police uniforms, the manager of their television station said.

Saboteurs blew up an export pipeline in southern Iraq today in the latest in a series of attacks targeting the volatile country’s crucial oil industry.